When my friend Carla told me about Rose and her family, and that they needed photos for their website to advertise their upcoming fundraiser, I was immediately drawn in. Rose is 7 years old, but has the mental capacity of an 8 month old. Her illness is extremely rare, and unfortunately, because of this there is no prognosis. Basically, her family do not know what lies ahead for them in regards to Rose's health. This does mean that they live each day for the moments, and you can see how much hope and fight they have put in, and continue to put in!

Two weeks ago, Carla and I drove up to Rose's beautiful home (they had lost everything in a fire 7 years ago, so everything in their home was lovely and new) - but this did not take away from the obviously, incredibly, hard work, Alex (Rose's mom) puts in on a daily basis.

It is a struggle to communicate with Rose, yet she uses flash cards to help her learn to make choices on whether she wants to eat or drink. She holds Rose's hands as she opens and closes books, or empties a bucket of toys so that Rose can fill the bucket up again all while sitting in her lap, as Rose cannot yet sit up on her own. It is all a struggle.

But when you look past the struggle, you are struck by the beauty of their story, the love they have for each other, and the immense support of their community. Just last year 760 people registered into a race to raise money for Rose and her family so Alex could make her home more accessible and easier to navigate as Rose continues to grow in size and weight. These amazing people helped raise over $20,000! Donations and fundraising by the runners has helped Rose to thrive in the last year, and we hope to keep her that way for many many years to come!

One May 13th, 2017 we will be running again! I hope you can join us this year! Click here for information and to book your space!

We did up a video of the session - but if you wish, scroll below to see just how gorgeous this little family is!