I had the absolute pleasure of traveling out to Western New Hampshire for a Flashes of Hope shoot at Dartmouth Hitchcock in Lebanon. This is one of the perks of my job, it allows me to help families out in such an indescribable way.

First, Flashes of Hope is an organization located in Cleveland, OH that provides photography packages in the hospital for children with life threatening illnesses. You are not limited on the amount of times you can have photos done. I have seen plenty of children multiple times over the years. Each family is provided with prints of each image, and the photographers favorite in an 8×10. You also receive digital files.

We get all sorts of situations at the hospitals, children recently diagnosed with cancer, sometimes the same day. Some children that have been receiving treatment that day, so they are at the hospital. Other times, they come in for photos. They come in to get photos with their sisters, brothers, family and friends. One child, we happened to be there the day he was diagnosed. I remember in one of the photos, his mom hugged him in such a way, we were actually brought to tears. We photographed the same child on the day he found out he was cancer free, two or three years later. Again, we cried, happy tears this time. Some situations are sad, a young girl that told me, “there is no more treatment for me, I am on hospice.”

A lot of my friends have no idea how I can do this, go to the hospital and not sit there and cry. I honestly think, how could I not do this? These photos mean the world to the parents. They give children the opportunity to step out of the treatment room and into their playroom that we have converted into a studio for a few hours. It allows them to laugh, to jump, to play. It allows them to smile, even if just for a minute.

The hard part is editing. Seeing the children and being able to think about them. I am a mom, my babies are my world. I could not imagine even one needle stick for any of my kids, and these children endure it daily. Our Flashes of Hope kids are the strongest, most beautiful subjects I photograph.

I would not change it for a thing. I have seen how valued and treasured the photos we take are. I have seen how the photos carry on, even after some of our children earn their wings.

To learn more about Flashes of Hope, or to donate to the Northern New England Chapter: www.flashesofhope.org.