I don't usually post anything specifically related to photography here on this blog, because we have another blog for our photography business. But I feel strongly about this and want to spread the word, so I've decided to post about it here, too. Besides, this really isn't about the business or about photography in general; it's about allowing God to work through us to bless hurting families.
We are members of an organization called "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. NILMDTS sends a professional photographer to the hospital to provide a free photo session (and a CD of photos from the session) to families who are experiencing the loss of a child. Often it's a situation where the parents know that their baby has a condition which will only allow the child to live a few hours, or even just a few moments after the child is born, but sometimes it may be an unexpected situation. Either way, this is their only opportunity to have portraits of their baby. Some people may think it's weird to do these kinds of photographs, but most of those who have experienced this kind of loss understand that having these tangible memories helps them grieve, and helps them heal.
We have only been members of NILMDTS for a couple of months, and have been called to do one session. To protect the family's privacy, I'll call the baby "Courage", since that's the meaning of her name. Courage was born premature (at 29 weeks gestation) and suffered a major stroke at birth, which left her brain dead. When we were called, she was about two weeks old. Her parents had made a gut-wrenchingly difficult decision, and had just removed her from life support. Beautiful, tiny baby Courage was still living at the time we took her photographs, but she passed away shortly after we left the hospital. It was heartbreaking to know how limited her time with her family would be. When the session was over, her parents thanked us, but we felt like we should thank them. They had allowed us to share such an intimate moment in their lives.
For families in this kind of tragic situation, these are not just photos. Those photos are the only tangible memories Courage's family has of their sweet daughter. I want to share an excerpt from an email that her father sent me after they received their CD of images and DVD slideshow. He said,
We are members of an organization called "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. NILMDTS sends a professional photographer to the hospital to provide a free photo session (and a CD of photos from the session) to families who are experiencing the loss of a child. Often it's a situation where the parents know that their baby has a condition which will only allow the child to live a few hours, or even just a few moments after the child is born, but sometimes it may be an unexpected situation. Either way, this is their only opportunity to have portraits of their baby. Some people may think it's weird to do these kinds of photographs, but most of those who have experienced this kind of loss understand that having these tangible memories helps them grieve, and helps them heal.
We have only been members of NILMDTS for a couple of months, and have been called to do one session. To protect the family's privacy, I'll call the baby "Courage", since that's the meaning of her name. Courage was born premature (at 29 weeks gestation) and suffered a major stroke at birth, which left her brain dead. When we were called, she was about two weeks old. Her parents had made a gut-wrenchingly difficult decision, and had just removed her from life support. Beautiful, tiny baby Courage was still living at the time we took her photographs, but she passed away shortly after we left the hospital. It was heartbreaking to know how limited her time with her family would be. When the session was over, her parents thanked us, but we felt like we should thank them. They had allowed us to share such an intimate moment in their lives.
For families in this kind of tragic situation, these are not just photos. Those photos are the only tangible memories Courage's family has of their sweet daughter. I want to share an excerpt from an email that her father sent me after they received their CD of images and DVD slideshow. He said,
"...we are so thankful to you all for creating such beautiful memories for us. These memories are all we are left with now. God Bless you all..."There are volunteer photographers in most states and in many other countries. Please spread the word about this wonderful organization, and if you are a photographer, please consider volunteering your services, too.
