Pediatric cancer, be gone!

"For families of terminally ill children, it's especially important to have a portait  that preserves forever the beauty, grace and dignity of their child."

As I mentioned before, Tuesday, I woke up bright and early and met three of my students at the Arnold Palmer Children's hospital. We partner up with an organization, Flashes of Hope and provide hair and makeup for the children. We are at Arnold Palmer every other month. The months in between we provide our services at Florida Hospital and starting in April, we will also be at Nemours. 

I encourage anyone and everyone to donate to Flashes. These families don't pay a single cent for these portraits. They get their hair and makeup done and beautiful photographs they can cherish forever. I always feel truly honored to get to do makeup for these little girls and hair for the boys and girls. Or just chat and play while they wait their turn for their shoot. 

Tuesday we had a slow morning. One of the kids was too sick to come down so we had about an hour until our next child. We decided to take a walk and get some Starbucks. When I came back into our room we already had the next family there. That's when I met quite possibly the cutest baby. He was 14 months. He'd just come chemo and still attached to fluids and meds. But he was the happiest baby I've ever encountered. He just kept laughing. Big belly laughs, smiling, and throwing his arms out as if he just wanted to dance. His older sister, three years old, a joy to be around. Their parents had shirts on that said, "My son is my hero" with a ribbon. I stood in the background and watched them all pose. And I could feel the tears building up and the lump in my throat. It isn't until I get to my car after these events that I allow myself to truly lose it. Why? Innocent children. They don't deserve it. 

I cannot imagine what it is like to be a parent of child very ill with cancer. It has to be the scariest, most terrifying and heartbreaking thing. Especially when you have more than one child, and still have to focus your attention on the other children. Oh, man. I can't say I'd be as strong as the families I come into contact with. They are such an inspiration. 

They are my heroes.