Words from a Guest Blogger. Tiny Light Stella's Mom, Anna.

Here is another Guest Blog from one of our amazing Tiny Light Moms! If your family or friend has been part of our Tiny Light journey and you would like to share by being a Guest Blogger for The Tiny Light, please email: angela@thetinylight.com


My name is Anna and I am Stella's mommy. 
It was just a typical evening for me, watching TV and surfing the net.  How I exactly came across The Tiny Light Foundation, I honestly can't remember.  But I do remember reading the foundation's Tiny Light stories.  The photos were beautiful and the stories beautiful, heartwarming and inspiring! I decided that night that I wanted Stella to be a Tiny Light.  I wanted to share her story and our journey as a family.  A few days later I was on facebook chatting with Eiko (photography by Eiko).  I had met Eiko when I was pregnant with Stella as she did our maternity photos.  I knew that she had been wanting to combine her love for photography and her passion for working with people with disabilities.  So I told her about the Tiny Light Foundation but she was one step ahead of me as she had already applied to be a Tiny Light photographer and had been accepted.  I already knew just what an amazing photographer she was, so I was even more excited to send in the application!!

Our photo session was an adventure for sure!  My two older daughters Olivia and Sophie, were not the most co operative, but Eiko was patient and laidback and just let them run around.  What few smiles my little rascals had, she caught with ease and looking at the pictures you'd think they were as sweet as pie!  Stella was pure sweetness the whole time and I loved all the amazing head bands and the cute little outfit that Eiko brought for Stella to wear on the photoshoot.  When I saw the photos for the first time I cried (just a little :) ).  Eiko has a gift. She captured the love that we all have for Stella with the click of her camera!! The photos of Stella showed her sweetness, her patience, her perfection.  Words can't properly express how much we love and cherish those photos.  Eiko is a wonderful person and a talented photographer.

After seeing Stella's story on the Tiny Light facebook page I felt inspired.  I wanted to give back, to do more, to pay it forward.  Stella was Eiko's first Tiny Light and I felt compelled to get the word out there in our community about The Tiny Light Foundation.  So I called a friend of mine who works at our local radio station and she organized an interview on the two local radio stations (Chat 94.5 and My 96)  and the local news (CHAT news).  I then called Eiko and asked her to help spread the word with me. 

The Tiny Light Foundation is truly a fabulous foundation.  Not only do they provide beautiful photos for the families to cherish,  they help bring awareness to so many different disabilities and illnesses. We are so thankful to be a Tiny Light family and we plan on spreading the word about The Tiny Light Foundation wherever we can!
 

Images by Photography by Eiko

www.photographybyeiko.com

Words from A Guest Blogger, Tiny Light Mom, Jessica

Here is another touching Guest Blog from Tiny Light Mason's Mom, Jessica. Watch for his upcoming story! If you'd like to do a guest blog please email me at: angela@thetinylight.com
Thank you to all that have come forward to share already!




My Experience with my Tiny Light

On October 25th, 2010, I was blessed with a beautiful baby boy…7 weeks early! Mason was born weighing an incredible 6lbs 12oz with just a little breathing difficulty. Twenty four hours later, he was breathing on his own and doing well. We couldn’t wait to bring him home. Four days later, a large blood clot in his kidney was discovered, then a grade 4 brain bleed and subsequently, hydrocephalus. Needless to say, our world was turned upside down. We spent what was the longest and most difficult month of my life at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). A lot changed for me in that month, most of all my view on being a parent of a sick child. I’ve always heard stories and heard of friends of a friend who were taking care of a sick child. I’ve always felt for them and hoped and prayed for the best but I can honestly say now that I never really understood. I don’t think you can fully understand unless you’ve had first hand experience. It is something that I wouldn’t wish on any parent or especially any child. I believe that it’s truly one of the hardest things a parent can go through, being so helpless when their child is hurting. I was very thankful for the other parents we met at CHEO who were going through something similar with their child. It was comforting being able to talk to someone who was going through what my husband and I were going through, someone else who truly understood.

        Ultimately, this was how I eventually discovered the Tiny Light Foundation. While at CHEO, we met Kim, Tiny Light Brynn’s mother. My mother used to teach with Kim and was following Brynn’s story. After Brynn’s passing, we saw Kim’s posting of the Tiny Light Foundation on her Facebook page and how happy she was that Brynn had become a Tiny Light. I read more about this wonderful foundation and spent the evening reading up on all the Tiny Lights. It was so comforting to see other families who had also gone through tough starts with their little ones and to see the pictures of their beautiful, happy child. I decided then to fill out an application for Mason.

        I was thrilled when I got a response that Mason was accepted as a Tiny Light. A day later, I got an email from photographer Donna Larmour. She was ready to set up a photo session for Mason. Donna was very accommodating. We met her a few weeks later, not far from our home, for an outdoor photo shoot with our now, healthy 6 month old. Mason had become a very happy little boy. He smiles all the time and I wanted to capture his joyful innocence in these pictures. Once outside, Mason wasn’t so happy. It was the first time we had really taken him outside for any length of time. It was a very nice day out, but the chilly wind was taking Mason’s breath away. It took everything we had to get a few smiles out of him. We danced around, made noises, and wrapped him in blankets to protect him from the wind. Donna was very patient and came up with creative ways to get some good shots despite Mason’s crying. A few weeks later I was so thrilled to see the results of what I thought was a difficult shoot. The pictures Donna took were amazing! Not only did she capture his beautiful smiles, but she did it in a way that was real and candid. We couldn’t have posed him any better! Even some of his crying pictures were beautiful! She captured the Mason I get to see everyday.

        My experience with the Tiny Light Foundation has been a lot more rewarding than I imagined. The gift of the pictures captured what we delight in. Looking at them, I sometimes forget about the hardship we went through that first month of his life, the hospital visits coming up and the challenges that may or may not lie ahead. Every parent worries about their child’s future, especially when they have a health condition. Even if only for a second, these pictures take my mind away from that worry when I see the face of my perfectly happy baby boy. When I look at all the Tiny Lights’ pictures, I can’t see the conditions. The only thing I notice when I read their stories and look at their pictures are all these beautiful, happy families rallying around a small child who brings them so much joy! No matter what they’ve gone through, or what challenges lie ahead, these amazing children make all of it worth while.

        The Tiny Light Foundation, through something as simple as a website, give struggling families hope and support. We are gifted with the knowledge that we are not alone, that we are supported by those who understand and are going through the same thing. With these gorgeous pictures by talented, committed photographers, we are gifted with a memory of pure joy and happiness.

        I check up on the Tiny Lights every day. It has become a part of my routine. I tell everyone I know about these amazing kids. It has forever changed my view on children with special needs and touched me more than I can ever describe. A big THANK YOU to the Tiny Light Foundation for doing something so simple that gives us so much in such an incredible way!

                                                                                                     
                                                                                                        Jessica Brozincevic

Photos by Donna Larmour 
www.donnalarmour.com

Words from Guest Blogger, Amy

Today's Guest Blog is from Amy. Her son is one of our Tiny Light babies. They recently had their session done by Melissa DePape. James' story and photos will be up on the Tiny Light site within the next few weeks. Watch for it, he is adorable!

If you are interetested in being a Guest Blogger, please email me at: angela@thetinylight.com

 No parent ever wants the hear a doctor say, “There is something wrong with your child.” There is an audible snap of your heart, followed by a fog of shoc, blurred vision and sound. No matter what the diagnosis, it shakes you to your core. For me it was a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome and serious heart defects in my son, James. From diagnosis, to treatment, to survival you learn, you live, you love. There are so many memories from the times of trial to the moments of pure joy. The Tiny Light Foundation brings mental snapshots of these memories into actual photographs.

I heard about the Tiny Light Foundation first from an article in our local paper where I recognized the picture of Melissa DePape and Angela Stephen-Dewhurst. Angela and I are moms to daughters in the same Kindergarten class. I proceeded to go the foundation's website to find out more about it. My first impression was what a wonderful gift it would be to have pictures of my precious James with his family. I have always wanted to get family pictures done, but with finances strained already it was an expense that I couldn't justify with our tight budget. The Tiny Light Foundation was the answer to my wish. I applied for James and waited for our photo shoot with Melissa DePape. I had secretly wished for Melissa to do our photos, as we share the common ground of having children with similar stories.

Our photo-shoot was perfect. The rain held off that day. The wind stirred up quite a bit but that led to moments of laughter and extra snuggly pictures as we tried to keep warm. Melissa was wonderfully calm and patient with our five children. She made us all feel at ease and made the whole experience comfortable and enjoyable. I find myself at a loss for words to describe the absolutely wonderful photographs that were taken that day. They were stunning and beautiful and something I will treasure forever.

It is hard to think of a way to thank this amazing foundation for all that they do. Maybe one day I will find a way. Until then I will support them in any way I can, for they have given me a way to see the love in my family just by looking at a photograph.

~ Amy Watkins, Tiny Light Mother

Photo by Melissa DePape Photography
www.melissadepape.com

Guest Bloggers!

We are always so excited to share with you the stories of our Tiny Light’s. One of the reasons that we started the Tiny Light Blog is to give you a behind the scenes view of the Tiny Light journey from many perspectives, not just ours!

We will be having Guest Bloggers, and we would love to hear your story! If you are a Tiny Light friend or family member, a photographer, writer, editor or have been involved with us in any way and would like to share, please do! You can email me at: angela@thetinylight.com to find out how to do a guest blog.

Our first guest blogger is one of our amazing Tiny Light photographers, Andrea Devisser!

My name is Andrea Devisser.  I am a Photographer based in Chilliwack & The Fraser Valley, British Columbia.  Capturing real life is what I do best.  A photojournalist of sorts, I approach each shoot in a documentary style.  Telling the story.  Your story.

I first read about the Tiny Light Foundation & Melissa DePape in our local newspaper, the Chilliwack Times.  I knew immediately that this was something I would love to be part of.   Incorporating my talent as a photographer and being able to give this gift to these kids each with their very own mountain to climb, tugged at my heartstrings.  Children, some of whom have unpredictable health, and sadly, sometimes diagnoses or a prognosis that is seemingly far too much to bear.

In my own family, we have two nephews with Down syndrome, both who are in every way “tiny lights”.  Being part of a family in which we are watching & supporting our siblings as they face the various triumphs & struggles in their children’s various developmental delays has definitely opened our eyes to the incredible blessing a foundation such as The Tiny Light can be.

Photographs.  A moment frozen in time.  We simply can’t put a price tag on this.  And so we don’t.  It is our gift to these children & their families.  I’ve seen the joy and the tears these photographs bring to these families. 

So far I’ve had the opportunity to photograph two very special tiny lights. 

The first session I did was for a little guy named Parker.  His session had a great impact on me; there is just something about this little man that truly shines.  Parker was diagnosed with Autism in 2006.  He later was also diagnosed with having severe bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.  You can see more photos from his session, and read a bit more on Parker, on my website:

(www.andreadevisser.com)

Tiny Light BREAKING NEWS!

Today is announcement day! We have been building this news up for some time now, and with good reason!

The amazing singer/writer Corey Woodward has written a song for the Tiny Light Foundation! I don’t want to say too much about it, as my description would have nothing on closing your eyes and listening to the words. We are extremely grateful for the thoughtfulness and the time that Cory put into this.  He is incredibly talented and what he has given to our Tiny Light’s is an anthem that speaks the love that we all have for these precious children.

After listening, please consider purchasing the song to financially support this journey and what our foundation can do and keep doing for our Tiny Lights!

As a thank you to Cory please check out his website and all of his other amazing music!  The man can sing!

http://corywoodward.com/track/tiny-light

Please share this with everyone! 

The Tiny Light Team ox