Giving Tuesday 2024 is here!

30 Comments

1. My son has a heart defect and many other medical issues. He has tetralogy of fallot with pulmonary atresia and mapcas. In his first year of life he had 4 heart surgeries, and a g tube surgery. He’s now 2 and has to have heart caths once or twice a year. We have multiple therapies weekly or every other week, feeding, speech, pt, ot. And have therapies that come to our house. We know we are nearing when he will need another heart surgery. While he is behind on a lot of milk stones the progress he is making is wonderful. We still don’t know what all he will be able to do or if there will be things he can’t ever do, but we are grateful for what he’s accomplished.

2. What an amazing gift you are offering! Thank you for being so thoughtful!

   My husband and I have four children total. Our sweet son, Levi, is 7 and has Down Syndrome and many other medical conditions that come along with that diagnosis.

3. What an amazing gift for you to give back to the community!

   I would be honored if you’d consider my family. My husband, Brian and I have been married just over 13 years. Our oldest son was diagnosed with level 2 autism in 2017 followed by a seizure disorder in 2018 and a tic disorder and mild IDD couple years ago. At the age of 4 traditional photos became too much for our little guy so we stopped getting them. After our Irish twins were born in 2019 & 2020 I was blessed to be able to get 1 family portrait. Our last family photo. I would love more than anything to have an updated portrait but unfortunately being a one income household, so I can attend to our son’s needs, doesn’t leave much wiggle room for that luxury.

4. My son was born with cCMV infection. It caused a stroke in utero. He is now 12 and has cerebral palsy. He’s a right hemi. He also has LGS, a severe form of epilepsy, and intellectual disability. He’s an amazing kid!! He loves sports and is very active in the special Olympics. He doesn’t let anything slow him down. When he was 9 he had a brain surgery to help with his epilepsy and it has helped tremendously!! His seizures have decreased. He regularly sees a speech therapist and a physical therapist (weekly) to help him. He also sees a ton of specialized drs and has checkups for everything pretty regularly. We wouldn’t trade it for the world. He’s the best kid and has the most positive attitude, even with everything he goes through. He’s super social and is a wonderful friend and teammate. He’s recently joined school sports and is doing great!!!

5. Such a life-giving gift! We don’t need to be considered but wanted to thank you for putting words to what so many of us mamas feel in the depths of our bones. Our 5th kid, who’s almost 2yo, has been dealing with a severe form of epilepsy with few answers and fewer options to help since he was 4-months-old. Everything feels hard and heavy and while we celebrate every victory with authentic joy, varying levels of grief lurk below the surface. Things we previously took for granted—like the bandwidth to even book a photo session, let alone actual prepare and survive it—are monumental accomplishments now. Thank you for lessening that burden for a family walking a hard, beautiful path today. Merry Christmas!

6. It is amazing of you to offer this! I have 2 boys, and my older son (he’s 16) has a rare genetic disorder called Coffin Siris Syndrome. It’s a neuromuscular disorder that causes many issues, including severe respiratory issues and a severe form of epilepsy called LGS, among other things (we see pretty much all the specialists at the children’s hospital). He’s non verbal, uses a wheelchair, and needs assistance with all his daily activities. Despite all the challenges he faces, he is the sweetest child. My younger son is so amazing with his brother, always helping and not complaining that so much of our day is based around Jack’s needs. Jack recently spent a month in the PICU, which was hard for the whole family. We haven’t had family pictures taken in years, so we would love the opportunity to get updated photos!

7. My husband and I have five children total. Our oldest son, Sebastian, age 10, has a rare genetic condition called KARS. It has caused him to be diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, LGS-Epilepsy, Microcephaly, Cortical Vision Impairment, Nystagmus and is fed via G tube. He cannot walk or talk. Two of his younger siblings: Harmony age 6 and Malcolm age 4, have also been diagnosed with ASD. They are blessed with the best big sissy, Annastasia, 8 and their baby brother, Sanderson, 3 months old. We have a big chaotic family but we wouldn’t change it for the world and are always happy to capture memories in a photo shoot.

8. My 4.5 yr old daughter was born with Agenisis of the Corpus Callosum. Essentially the two halves of her brain are not connected. So no communication between the two halves of the brain. Due to her ACC she has epilepsy and she is also blind. Severly developmentally delayed. She is like a 6 month old. Can’t sit up on her own or hold her own head up. We recently found out she has a very rare genetic disorder called TBCD genetic disorder. Her life expectancy is age 5….we have been in the hospital most of this year due to a seizure in January when she then stopped eating by mouth so had to get an NG/G tube and has had aspiration pneumonia about 6 times. We have not had family pictures taken since she was 1. This would be an incredible gift.

9. How generous of you! I have a 17 year old son with multiple disabilities. He has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. He’s also intellectually disabled so even though he’s 17, he functions at a 3 or 4 year old’s level. He still loves watching shows like Clifford and Curious George. He is the sweetest boy ever! He’s had more surgeries than we can count. Most recently scoliosis surgery. He also had to have his entire large intestine removed. He’s got an older college aged brother and a younger sister (who cares for him like she’s the older sister!). It’s so hard to get a good family picture when you have a child with a disability. Not only the time factor but finding a photographer that is patient.

10. My son was born at 33 weeks, he stopped breathing right away and had several strokes, his heart wouldn’t be at at the right rhythm, needed help breathing and eating. Because of this he has spastic quadriplegic CP, seizures, autism, and eye problems. He is a super sweet 5 year old now and after speech therapy, has lots to talk about. We always say that he decided if his body wouldn’t work right his voice would. He uses a wheelchair now most of the time but is working hard on a mobile stander and attempting steps with a giant trainer. His imagination is huge and he can tell you anything about Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Bluey. He lives with his big sister and Mom. Big sister, who is in first grade, is so good at giving him help and including him in activities. They will play and laugh for the longest time about the silliest things, and it’s so amazing to hear.

11. This is beyond amazing! It is not easy to arrange pictures or have a photographer that can be patient with a kiddo with special needs . I once had a terrible expierence with a photographer who was not patient. So you are an angel ❤️ My son is 2 almost 3 now. He was born at 25 weeks due to Pre eclampsia . Weighing in at 1.3 pounds He spent 110 days in the NICU at Mercy. At 38 weeks he was diagnosed with PVL periventricular Leukomalacia and later on Cerebral Palsy Along with other complications and severe motor delay but he his so bright and very smart.Our Journey certainly hasn’t been easy but he is the light of our life. We attend multiple therapies a week in state and out of state to help him gain independence as best as he can. He is the happiest and sweetest little boy and his smile is contagious. We we are so lucky to have him and he is a true fighter and blessing along with thousands of other tiny miracles. he has taught us that anything is possible and miracles do happen every day. We hope you consider us as this would be a great gift of giving so happy that you understand what millions of families go through with kiddos with disabilities. ❤️

12. This is so generous of you and my family would love to be considered! My husband and I have been married for 20 years. Our oldest son is 18 and graduated last year. He’s doing all the things a young adult should; going to college, working and moving more towards life long independence every day. Our younger son will be 17 in a couple months and is a junior in high school. He will graduate next year but remain in school until he’s 21. Then will live with us for the rest of his life. He was born with a rare multi-system genetic disease called Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. He has significant neurological involvement and as a result deals with epilepsy, spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and cortical visual impairment. He is completely dependent on caregivers. Has never walked or spoke independently but thanks to technology and a host of therapists he has found ways to be active and communicate. Perhaps more important than any label though is his pure, contagious, beautiful smile and his loving heart that only knows Joy. He has been thru more surgeries and fought more battles than most people do in a life time, yet somehow perseveres. We couldn’t be more honored to share this life with him….

    Thanks for your consideration and best regards!

13. What a super thoughtful gift! I’m the mother of a beautiful 7 year old girl named Myla. At my 20 week Anatomy scan, doctors told me my child has a condition called hydrocephalus. And the most severe case that doctors have seen at the University of Iowa. Being only 18 at the time my world was in shambles. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself everything will be okay despite all the hurdles, surgeries and appointments. Myla has not only hydrocephalus but was born with a VSD, partially blind, seizure disorder, G tube dependent, adhd and autism. Myla turned out to be the most radiant and resilient person I know and she is so loved by everyone around her. She is always quick to make a friend and truly the sweetest child. I have always been skeptical to have professional photos done with myla because I’m not entirely sure how myla would take it and I feel bad if I needed to have a photographer make accommodations. You’ve walked the shoes of every special needs parent here and I would love a session with you! Thank you for hearing our story and Merry Christmas to you and your family ❤️

14. How nice of you! My daughter, Logan, is 7 years old. She has a chromosome duplication, epilepsy, CVI, etc. etc. (you get it lol). She can’t sit or stand on her own so she depends on positioning equipment. The only professional photos we tried with her were over 5 years ago because our friend did them. We haven’t attempted any since because it seems like a big task explaining the help (and patience!) Logan would need during a photo session. Getting her to look at a camera let alone smile would be a miracle haha. We also have another sibling joining the family in January so we’d be so grateful to do a family shoot.
    Thanks!! ♥️

15. How lovely! This was shared with me by a prior winner on her Facebook page.

    My wife and I have four adopted children, all with varied special needs and disabilities. Our oldest was an ultra preemie born with a intraventricular hemorrhage, which has manifested in different ways. Three of our four children have developmental disabilities. Trauma they experienced affects their cognitive and brain development. We are in different therapies and treatments 4/5 days of the week with our children.

16. I love that you do this every year, what a blessing!

    We havent had professional family pictures together since the arrival of our little one (almost two years ago now).

    Our sweet India arrive via an emergency C-section in quite a hurry. We were given a birth diagnosis of Trisomy21 and had no idea what it entailed.

    While we’ve had many sleepless nights, figured out how to navigate the rude comments, and just learned how to be patient as a family — we wouldn’t change it for the world.

    This girl exudes joy (and stubbornness) on a daily basis and brought more happiness than our family could have imagined. She’s a world changer and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

    caitlynbarkalow@gmail.com

17. I’m a single mom of 2 sons both born with disabilities. My oldest son is 31 has Cerebral Palsy and is medically fragile. He lives with a wonderful family who help care for him for me. My other son is 27 and is autistic. It’s been 6 years or more since our last family picture and would LOVE to have the opportunity to get a current photo of my family. Thank you for your generosity!!

18. This is an amazing opportunity! My youngest daughter, Gray, was born at 22 weeks. She is now 8. She has hydrocephalus, CP, is non mobile and non verbal (but runs the house with no words) among others…thank you for the opportunity!

19. What you are doing is amazing!! Whoever the winner maybe, just know you touched their heart!

    My name is Katelyn. We recently found out our 2 1/2 year old is autistic. We have had an idea he was autistic since he was 18 months. We just had to jump through a lot of hoops to get his diagnosis. We have weekly therapies and now have to find the best ABA Therapy that will best fit him. Everything you mentioned was right on point with being a parent to a child with a disability! Our son has troubles with communication and there are some nights where he will only sleep for 2 hours. I hope that some day my son will be able to talk to us and tell us how he is feeling and what he wants/needs. Nothing breaks my heart more than when he is having a meltdown because he’s not able to communicate with us and we can’t figure out what he is wanting/needing. This is our story and I just want to thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to potentially winning a family photo shoot. We haven’t had family pictures since 2020 and our family has grown and changed a lot since then! You’re truly an amazing person!

20. This is such a thoughtful thing you are doing for families who have extra needs ❤️
    My boyfriend of 9 years and I have an 8 year old daughter named Alina.
    She is our special princess. She has a very rare genetic condition called TBR1 Related Syndrome. She got diagnosed when she was 2 almost 3. This condition is caused by a variation in a brain development gene. It is highly linked with autism and currently there are about 190 cases that we know of worldwide. Of that group we have a sub group of about 20 that have the exact same variation that seem to be more severely affected, Alina is one of those 20. She is non-verbal and not mobile. She deals with Autism, epilepsy, profound intellectual disability, global developmental delay and hypotonia. Although she has to deal with and go through so much she is one of the happiest little girls, who has a smile and laugh that is infectious. And being non verbal doesnt stop her from being the loudest in the house. She makes the world a better place and steals the hearts of anyone she meets. This year has been more rough on our family as her dad got laid off from John Deere at the same time we were attempting to get her new medical equipment. After much fight and months later that did finally get approved. This year also would have been 5 years seizure free but that got broken when she had her worst seizure yet in July.It would be a blessing to have beautiful pictures taken to celebrate the love we have for each other and to remember that as long as we are together we can get through anything.

21. This is so amazing! And I love being able to read all the other stories on here❤️

    My husband and I have 4 children (7, 5, 3 and 1). Our oldest children had the pleasure of having you take their school photos at Lovely Lane Preschool❤️ Our 3 year old daughter (Chandler Jo) was born at 36 weeks due to an IUGR diagnosis. It wasn’t until she was born that we discovered she was more than just growth restricted. Chandler was diagnosed with Malan Syndrome at less than a week old and became the youngest person ever diagnosed with this. It is a rare disorder that affects less than 300 people in world due to a chromosome deletion on the 19th chromosome. Malan Syndrome affects each person a little differently but they all have a tall, thin stature in common that has helped coin the term “Malan Sunflowers”🌻. Chandler just started 3 year old preschool yesterday and she is thriving🥰 We are long overdue for some family photos..especially since the addition of our youngest who will be 2 in February! Thank you so much for offering this opportunity.

22. What a beautiful thing!!

    At our 20 week anatomy scan we found out her humerus bones were much shorter than the rest of her long bones. We had an amniocentesis done where we found out that she had a skeletal plasia called Rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata type 1 classic (RCDP). It’s a rare form of dwarfism that affects her physically and mentally. It was a genetic condition that both my husband and I carried that it mutated. It was a 25% chance with every pregnancy or a 1 in 4. She is our 1 in 4. She is the sweestest 11 month old little peanut. She had cataract surgery at eight and nine weeks old and she wears hard lens contact lenses. She is G-tube fed. She is hard of hearing and has hearing aids. She has a cervical stentosis so she wears a soft collar.

23. I never imagined I’d be a mother of a child with special needs. My dreams were filled with the perfect pregnancy, a natural birth, and endless, joyous bonding with my perfectly made baby. This couldn’t have been further from reality.

    Our son’s life began with respiratory failure and an extended stay in the NICU. He saw a vast team specialists his first few months of life and he endured multiple surgeries. Despite all the interventions, his overall health began to deteriorate and he was diagnosed with infantile spasms. After several unsuccessful treatments, an epilepsy panel revealed that our son had Koolen-de Vries Syndrome (KDVS).

    When you say it’s important to count every inchstone, you’re right. We cheered when he ate from a bottle for the first time, when he made eye contact with us, when he was able to lift his head, sit and smile. It took me a long time to feel less devastated with the circumstances we were living. We all pray for a really special child… but not this kind of special.

    Eventually, I realized all that I believed should have been was hindering my ability to appreciate my baby exactly as he was. When I started to meet him where he was, I began to love every little thing about him.

    We have several therapies every week. We have two upcoming procedures scheduled in 2025. We travel to intensive feeding therapy with the hope he will be able to eat solid food someday. He is nonverbal, but we work with several SLPs to help support his communication. Developmentally, he is very delayed and functions much like an infant. But, there is so much more to him. He has a beautiful perspective on life. He shares his joy and his smiles. He also shares his victories that allow us to celebrate so much more in life. Things are certainly not easy, but the more we get to know our sweet boy, the more I realize he was handpicked just for us.

    Oliver is the youngest of six children. Our family of eight would love to be considered for your photo session. Our last family photo was captured when Oliver had uncontrolled epilepsy, so his eyes are closed and he was screaming. I still framed it because Iife is bound to happen. 🙂 Though, I would love to have a picture on the wall of our family now. In just a couple of years, Oliver has changed our entire family for the better.

    *sorry for the novel. I never dreamed I’d be living this life, but I am grateful for how many blessings I truly have.

24. My son has multiple disabilities, however, I would like to enter my sister’s family in this contest as a way to possibly surprise her. Her youngest child has been significantly impacted by shaken baby syndrome (abusive head trauma). He was injured by his birth father when he was four months old and as a result is completely immobile, nonverbal, blind, feeding tube dependent and has a seizure disorder. His 12th birthday happens to be on the date of the drawing for this contest. My sister also has a daughter who is currently in inpatient rehabilitation due to guillain-barre syndrome. She was admitted to St Luke’s in early September and has not been home since then. She was fully paralyzed from her neck down (with some impairment of her face as well) for a while and was on a ventilator and required a trach and peg tube as well. She has made huge gains and is now able to breathe and eat on her own. She is beginning to walk with a walker (with assistance) and can wheel herself in a wheelchair for short distances as well. She is expected to finally come home within the next couple of weeks. She will still need to use a wheelchair and require a great deal of assistance for a while, but will hopefully make a full recovery.

25. We would love to be considered! We are a family of 6! My 10 year old son has MFDM and has been through 25 surgeries for varies things at the University of Iowa. Sawyer is the real life iron man, he is so strong and guaranteed to leave a smile on your face if you meet him. Almost 2 years ago our 7 year old son was diagnosed with Type one diabetes. Which was another twist in this journey of parenthood. My husband and I been married 8 years and together 11 years and we have never had any type of family pictures done so this would be an amazing opportunity for us.

26. The Bissell Family would love to win. My husband and I have twin 8yr old boys. One of which has an Intellectual Disability, autism and is non-verbal. For the last two years he has been in full day ABA. So even getting school photos has been out of the equation for us.
    Thank you for thinking of this community. We appericate you.

27. My son is a Shaken Baby Survivor. His sperm donor broke 6 of his ribs and threw him on our bed at only 2 months old while I was at work. I was told he wouldn’t make it but after being in a medically induced coma for a month he is still here with me. He is now 8 1/2yrs old. He has Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy, CVI, Scoliosis, Developmental Delays. He is non-verbal and is complete disabled. Can’t take anything by mouth so he is fed through G Tube. It is just him and I since it all happened. He brightens everyone’s lives that he touches. He just got over 2 bad years of being in and out of the hospital due to illnesses and his huge tonsils.

    Thank you for doing this for all of these families ❤️

28. We have a beautiful nonverbal level 2 boarding level 3 autistic 3 year old boy that has taught us the hidden beauty in the world. The start of his life was extremely tough as he was born at 29 weeks due to a car accident that caused placenta abruption. He was born not breathing and just hours later had pulmonary hemorrhaging in the nicu. He spent 9.5 weeks in the nicu and came home on a feeding tube. Due to coming home on medical equipment and developing Chronic Lung Disease we had appointments every single day for the first 9 months, had an in home nurse, and had to do major isolation to prevent illnesses that would end him back up in the hospital since he was allergic to the Synagis shot.

    I knew at 6 months old my son had something special about him. I advocated the second I had that feeling. Finally at 2.5 years old we got a confirmed diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. This was the best thing that could have happened and opened up so many resources like increasing speech therapy to 2 times a week.

    We take our son 4 times a week to therapies ranging from speech to physical to occupational therapy. We have seen so much growth over the course of the years and have learned so much about not only autism but ourselves as well. 💕

29. Hello and what a sweet idea! Our special needs daughter is 15 years old and she is an absolute miracle. She came into this world weighing 2lbs 15oz. There were some days we weren’t sure if we would get to keep her. She made it through the NICU experience and I remember writing in her baby book that she came home after 52 days in the NICU. She made it through a PDA ligation at 5 months old and came home off of oxygen. We watched her fight for her life in the PICU at age 3. RSV turned into double pneumonia and almost took her home to Jesus. After 3 weeks in the hospital our family was able to celebrate Christmas with her on January 12. At age 7 she had open heart surgery. Between the ages of 10 and 12 she had 3 hip surgeries that resulted in a month long stay away from home. She was a champ through all the recovery. We are currently working on keeping her out of spinal surgery by wearing a scoliosis brace. Our daughter has been through sooooo much and amazes us with her resilience through everything life has dealt her. We would love nothing more than to see her smile at this special photo shoot! Thank you for the opportunity!

30. What an amazing gift. Especially for someone w such apathy.

    Our daughter is 8. She has LGS, a progressive seizure disorder. Mary is the strongest kid I’ve ever met, she’s been through so much. We are thankful for every great day that comes our way. We are a family of four with Mary’s older brother, Henry.
    Thank you for your support!

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