Last year I met Lauren, she was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma just one month before her 15th birthday in the summer of 2012. It was a weekend morning when her mom went to her bedroom to wake her. She began tickling her and felt an extremely large mass in her abdomen. It felt like a football. As a nurse, her mom knew something wasn't right, and took her to the emergency room. After having emergency surgery, a 15.5 pound mass was removed from her pelvis, along with an ovary and numerous lymph nodes. It took what seemed like years to finally get a diagnosis. Her case is quite rare in that Neuroblastoma typically occurs in children under the age of six. Prior to her diagnosis, Lauren was a remarkable young lady, and she continues to shine through her journey after diagnosis. She excelled in school and was in the top three of her class. With school being so important to her, she has continued by taking her classes on-line through a virtual school. She was a competitive dancer, however has been unable to dance since her treatment began. She is a loving daughter, sister and friend. Lauren has completed six rounds of chemotherapy. She had high dose chemotherapy prior to her stem cell transplant. She then had 12 rounds of radiation. Currently she is enrolled in a study where she receives antibody therapy. This portion of her treatment has been the most difficult for her.
This last day of September I want to dedicate to a couple of Gold Hope Fighter sessions.
Last year I met Lauren, she was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma just one month before her 15th birthday in the summer of 2012. It was a weekend morning when her mom went to her bedroom to wake her. She began tickling her and felt an extremely large mass in her abdomen. It felt like a football. As a nurse, her mom knew something wasn't right, and took her to the emergency room. After having emergency surgery, a 15.5 pound mass was removed from her pelvis, along with an ovary and numerous lymph nodes. It took what seemed like years to finally get a diagnosis. Her case is quite rare in that Neuroblastoma typically occurs in children under the age of six. Prior to her diagnosis, Lauren was a remarkable young lady, and she continues to shine through her journey after diagnosis. She excelled in school and was in the top three of her class. With school being so important to her, she has continued by taking her classes on-line through a virtual school. She was a competitive dancer, however has been unable to dance since her treatment began. She is a loving daughter, sister and friend. Lauren has completed six rounds of chemotherapy. She had high dose chemotherapy prior to her stem cell transplant. She then had 12 rounds of radiation. Currently she is enrolled in a study where she receives antibody therapy. This portion of her treatment has been the most difficult for her.
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I met this adorable family a couple years ago and I get so giddy every time they schedule a session with me. When I plan a photo session, it's not just about picking a date, time, location and showing up with my camera. I envision the perfect lighting, the fun conversations, the possible props and my mental shutter starts going off! Lots of planning with wardrobe and location go into my stylized sessions. This gorgeous lady plans out her family's outfits and I enjoy that she shares her vision with me. Summer is drawing to an end, so we wanted to capture some family photos enjoying a picnic before the little miss started kindergarten. If you have a totally creative or crazy (good crazy, lol) idea for a portrait session, shoot me an e-mail, I would LOVE to help you work out all the details and can give you ideas as well.
Over a year ago I had an unsettling feeling that there had to be more than just capturing pretty pictures in being a photographer. Don't get me wrong, I love working with all the wonderful families I get to meet and share some fun moments with them. I'm grateful I can take sweet, quiet, loving, funny, silly, beautiful moments in time and freeze them and people get to display them on their walls as memories. I sometimes get thank you cards after clients insist they are not photogenic or moms tell me their kids are happy to see Miss Lily again. It warms my heart. I say this because I believe our Creator gave us all different gifts and I want to use my gifts He gave me and give back. I stumbled upon the Gold Hope Project when I read a story about a little girl named Ava battling terminal cancer and her mother's quest to document every moment before they became just memories. This wonderful little girl inspired a group of photographers to start this project. The Gold Hope Project was created so that every family, fighting alongside their child would be able to have pictures together and of their amazingly strong fighter. It's a way for the families to not have to worry about getting funds together to have their memories preserved, a fun project of volunteers that would open their hearts to these families. A place that would share information about the 'C' monster that is Cancer. When I heard they needed volunteer photographers, something inside me sparked and I knew that project needed me. I submitted my application and became the first photographer in the south Florida region within a 100 mile radius to be listed. I'm so happy the volunteer photographers have grown in numbers and the project is reaching most parts of the country. If you have or know a child (ages 0-21) battling cancer and would like professional photos, please contact the project and they will contact your local photographer and set you up. I've had the honor of meeting some awesome kids and giving them the gift of memories. My prayer for them is that they stay strong, find healing, and be able to pass down those photos to their kids. I will be updating my blog this month with a couple of past Gold sessions.
It's very difficult when family members live in different states or countries. Family reunions or vacation visits are a great time to get your family photos done. I love this family, it was so nice to meet and see siblings and cousins gather. So happy they allowed me to share an evening with them.
Thanks to everyone that participated in the mini photo session giveaway! I used this handy random name generator to pick out my winner! Winner has the choice of a sunrise or sunset beach session at Broward county location: engagement, maternity, family, nursing. Marisabel Please check your e-mail to claim your session!
If you read my previous entry, you know August is breastfeeding awareness month and my Facebook page was updated daily with gorgeous mamas and their nursing babies for the week. I am so thankful to have been part of #PBAP2014 (Public breastfeeding awareness project) and the positive impact it made in our community, online and across the country. I want to give something back for the great support from my followers or to anyone else that would like to know what Lilyta Photography is about! Summer will be over before we know it, so I'm doing a summer beach mini session giveaway! Winner can choose a family, maternity, nursing, or engagement session. Three Ways To Enter
World breastfeeding week may be over, but August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month. The breastfeeding campaign, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, hopes to empower women to commit to breastfeeding by showing evidence and research showing that babies who are exclusively breastfed for six months are less likely to develop ear infections, diarrhea and respiratory illnesses, and may be less likely to develop childhood obesity. Not only are babies getting extra cuddle time with their mom, but the health benefits are immeasurable! Check out this very informative infographic that Michelle, registered dietician at Go Wellness put together. Follow her facebook page, she has great nutritional advice, encouragement and awesome recipes that are taste tested by her own kids. I'm happy to feature my next group of mamas that participated in the Public Breastfeeding Awareness Project. I'm still going through more photos, but already excited about next year! I met Beth at the Hollywood beach (Florida) broadwalk. Her baby is only 2 weeks younger than my daughter. I first met Beth a few years ago at the park when our oldest children were still toddlers and trying to master the "big" slide. I bumped into Beth a few weeks ago while I was photographing another model for the project, told her about it and recruited her right there! I was thrilled she wanted to join the cause. And the photos speak for themselves. So what kind of an advocate would I be if I didn't share some of my own nursing photos? Downtown Hollywood has a cool little area where local artists paint murals. I stopped by to look at a couple of them after lunch one afternoon. How cool is this mermaid? If I was able to educate anyone on the topic of breastfeeding or encourage someone then I've completed my mission with this project #PNAP2014 Many thanks to Leilani Rogers for allowing us to help her with this cause! I'd like to hear from you if you've had any positive/negative experiences nursing in public. I've enjoyed so much capturing these quiet sweet moments that I will now be offering nursing sessions throughout the year. Please e-mail for more information. As a mother and advocate, I understand the struggles women go through to get to the point where they feel confident in the way they are caring for their children. Breastfeeding can be very challenging (both physical and emotional), and without the proper support some women give up. I remember being a first time mom and being scared to nurse in public. It's important to show support to moms wanting to comfort and feed their baby no matter where they are. Unfortunately society has sexualized many things, and something as natural and beautiful as breastfeeding has been frowned down upon at some businesses. About 80 photographer in the country have joined together to capture images we want the world to see in hopes to normalize breastfeeding through real life photographs. Some parents choose to bottle feed/formula feed, and that's ok too. The goal this past week was to celebrate the women that have overcome their fears of public breastfeeding and feel free to nourish and comfort their children no matter where they are. Our Creator designed breasts for a very specific reason! Leilani Rogers, a wonderful birth and lifestyle photographer in Austin, Texas organized the Public Breastfeeding Awareness Project. Here is a list of all participating photographers. Be sure to check out their work too! It's been a true privilege to be part of this great project and the support has been immense! I'm very thankful to Leilani Rogers for creating this project, the lovely participants, local photographers for their motivation, and my hubby for taking a few extra baby duty "shifts" so that I can spend the extra time creating these images! Here are the first set of mamas I'd like to feature! Check back with another blog post for more images. The image below belongs to Leilani Rogers for #pbap2014 This Friday August 1st begins World Breastfeeding Week 2014. The last 2 weeks I've been getting together with mamas participating in the breastfeeding awareness project after I announced my model call. It's been SO great meeting different breastfeeding mommies and sharing stories about our journeys. One of my favorite things has been just chilling after the sessions and swapping stories about our favorite baby carriers, cloth diapers, and what's for dinner. It's been amazing to see how this project has already encouraged so many people and I'm excited for the images I've taken and of all the photographers participating to flood the social media newsfeeds! Last week after a session, it was especially interesting while ordering a coffee to go. I was talking to my sister about the project while in line, and upon going to pay for my coffee, the barista tells me it's been paid for already. I didn't realize the woman in front of me was overhearing my conversation, and she then tells me that when she nursed her children over 20 years ago, she wished she had that social acceptance. She didn't have a support group and was one of those moms that thought she had to hide in a bathroom stall at a restaurant to nourish her child. She thanked me for what I was doing and told me to enjoy my coffee :) I was so humbled by her thoughtfulness. Thank you. Myself, a friend, and a new mommy friend I met at the park. This was an impromptu BYOB (bring your own boobie) picnic...I crack myself up sometimes ;)
Last week I announced I would be joining a wonderful group of talented photographers across the country in "The Public Breastfeeding Awareness Project". This project was started by Leilani Rogers, I'm honored to be part of it. The intent of this project is to show the world that mamas can and should be able to breastfeed whenever and wherever they want, and to normalize it as it once was and is: a natural, wonderfully created instinct. I'll be photographing in public and iconic places in Plantation/Davie/Dania Beach. I was so happy to hear from (so quickly) so many mamas willing to participate. I was talking to another local photographer that told me about it and said she could use a hand. I honestly didn't know how I would pull it off this busy month, but my desire to be part of something so beautiful decided for me <3 I have limited spacing this month, so I'm glad I was able to put things together and the response has been great! I have one spot left this Thursday afternoon. Please e-mail about location and time. I'm thrilled to be joining forces with some wonderfully talented photographers in the South Florida region! Yesterday I met with a wonderful mommy and her 18 month old at the beach, I can't wait to share the images in August (1-7). My own daughter often comes with me to sessions, so we had some bonding time afterwards.
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AuthorLily at Lilyta Photography Archives
February 2024
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