Just before I left on my trip to Italy I was contacted by Dandelion Magazine, a local magazine for parents with children that have special needs. I was asked to do a photo session for the cover story on a very special family. It was basically the last session that I shot before leaving, and the magazine was going to come out while I was away. The editor promised to send me a copy and when I finally got home I rushed to my pile of mail to find it. The images came out great, but it is the story behind the images that really touched my heart.  You can read their story HERE.

We met in Golden Gate Park, it was a beautiful afternoon. We walked and chatted, I got to know them and enjoyed capturing the love that they felt as a family. It is amazing the mountains that they have had to climb together, and that is just it. They did it together and they seemed to be pretty strong because of it. You see, when Lily as just two years old she was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. This is a chronic disease that causes joint swelling, stiffness and bouts of severe pain. The family overcame the heartache and devastation of this painful disease, they learned how to cope.  When Lily was four years old Miriam and Ronan welcomed a second child into their family, Frankie. By the time Frankie was born Ronan and Miriam had learned how to cope through writing and letting themselves accept help. Something they struggled with in the beginning. Miriam even became a life coach to teach other parents how to manage when dealing with crisis. She has a website called Cope and Thrive and has taken everything she has learned to try to help others in similar situations.

The family was strong. They each played an important role and while life was still difficult, they were happy. In May of 2009 any resemblance of normalcy faded. Frankie was diagnosed with Lymphoma. The family was tested once again and had to be strong and help their little boy through painful treatments while continuing to give their little girl all of the help she needed to deal with her disease.

Frankie did well in his treatments, he was in the 'maintenance phase' which had him taking several pills everyday. But his hair had grown back and he was in school and thriving. Frankie was supposed to complete his last round of treatment in June. I was in Italy at the time and although he wasn't quite in remission yet, he seemed like a healthy, normal boy. I was pretty sure that he was going to be just fine. I couldn't imagine anything but good things for this family. They had been through enough. It was time for them to breathe.

When I got back from Italy I contacted Ronan to set up their viewing session. It had been a few days since I had heard from them but I assumed that life had just gotten busy. When Ronan finally contacted me my heart about sank with the words that I read in his email. Frankie had relapsed. This poor family had been through so much and now, after everything they were back in the hospital. It is hard to make sense of it, it just does not seem fare.

Nothing in this life is more important than the people around you. Love them as hard as you can. Don't let life pass you by without showing your family and friends how much you care about them. Be present in your life. Do not let the mundane business of everyday let you get lazy. Be thankful for what you have been blessed with. These are the words I said to myself as I fell asleep that evening. These are the words that I hope to never forget.