Many have asked from my blog post and seeing it in person so I’ve decided I will sell this as a benefit to the writer, not me.   david is fighting once again and I can’t think of a better way to honor him while he isn’t traveling as much.  This will be offered as a gallary wrapped canvas over a stretcher frame.    The canvas is square and will be available in 12, 16, 20 and 24 inch sizes.   I am holding the 20 inch size.  

If you are interested, please email me for pricing details – amydoerr@yahoo.com or through the contact me on this page.   Local canvas will be shipped to my studio, non-local will be drop shipped to your location.  The lab printed many yesterday that will ship to other locations on Monday, yipeee!

Nikolas was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastom in April 08.   He is doing well now and he is such a little fighter!  I found some info so I could understand the type of cancer better.

Neuroblastoma is a cancer that develops from nerve cells found in several areas of the body. Neuroblastoma most commonly arises in and around the adrenal glands, which have similar origins to nerve cells and sit atop the kidneys. However, neuroblastoma can also develop in other areas of the abdomen and in the chest, neck and pelvis, where groups of nerve cells exist.   Neuroblastoma most commonly affects children age 5 or younger, though it may rarely occur in older children and adults.

Nikolas is winning the battle and he has amazing hair!!!

Way to go Nikolas!!!!  Keep up the good fight : )

Nikolas put his hand on his face and I just loved it.  I gotta show another because he was just so precious like that.

I’ve been working on this for awhile.  I saw my friend Kelly a couple of weeks ago.  Kelly’s daughter Mackenzie died of a brain tumor 3 short months after I photographed her.  david’s music kept Kelly’s spirit company in the many many dark nights surrounding Mackenzie’s illness.   When I saw Kelly’s face, I remembered the perfect image for the last picture of this slideshow.   It was as if Mackenzie knew, she knew it would be ok, It’s OK.  Thank you Mackenzie for your sweet gift to us. 

I’m not sure I can put a you tube video in here, you might have copy the link.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s14ScYNsKIc&feature=channel

Spencer is a spit fire – a very good thing in my opinion! and Carter is a fighter!  Carter was born with spina bifida.  Thankfully, the spot of his opening was very low so long term his future is very bright!   I saw him today and he was sitting in his car seat rather than laying which was a huge step for sweet Carter.     I was reading in Wikipedia and there is a section of famous people with spina bifida.  The Jack and Diane diddy guy, John Mellencamp.  I never knew!

One side issue was that Carter was born with club feet.  He is casted every week at the Univeristy of Iowa using  the internationally know Ponseti method.   Dr. Ponseti is 94  year old doctor and still working at the U of Iowa.  He was there when my mom was a physical therapy student and she was amazed with him then.    Carter is one of 150 children going through this right now at the U and was selected for a symposium last week.   I am just amazed.

Anyway….  Carter got new casts the day he came to see me.  These aren’t fiberglass kind, they were plaster.  The plaster was still wet.  It was just one of the most meaningful sessions I’ve ever had. 

Here is Spencer with amazing eyes and Carter.  I love how the light hits the casts and that  sweet little dimple in his elbow.

A prayer for continued healing for Carter!

The shop was packed with women, I said it was just like the barber shop.   We weren’t all getting ‘polished’ we were hanging out.     I often am amazed how small our little world is and how we are all so connected.  Rachel’s daddy is has been fighting a glioblastoma – short for stupid brain tumor that shows up too many times around me.   The conversation went to Jace of course.  Rachel  went to school with Tara and Virginia’s kids were in love with Tara when she was their music teacher in Baxter.  I know it is just a few county area but still.   

 So after one more visit to Jace’s page, reading Tara’s words and tears dripping on my lap, I just had to share two more pics.  Two things Jace adored, his daddy and his blanket.     BTW – I was looking for some pics this morning I had ordered and these just happened to be in the folder I opened.  I have a bajillion folders.   I think it was a sign from Jace to say hi one more time.  It had to be.

His fingers were clean when we started.  I have a reputation of getting dirty.  You should see my car right now.  yikes….

Stay strong little Nikolas, I am praying for yoU!

Daddy’s Tuesday blog entry broke my heart.   Thinking about Tara loosing her talker brought instant tears to my eyes.  If you have a few minutes, watch the you tube slide show on that post.     Listen to the second song written just for and about Jace.  I loved it!

 http://www.caringbridge.org/ia/jacecarrico/

Jace and his family gave me one of my most powerful photographic memories ever.  Tara asked for a picture of Jace’s scar and this picture is what happened.  It is on my studio wall and I look at it every single day. 

I am praying for Tara, Travis, and Jenna,  Meloday whose Tyler has greeted Jace in Heaven, Nolan who was such a buddy to Jace and to all of New Sharon whose hearts are broken.

Here is Jace’s CarePage. 

http://www.caringbridge.org/ia/jacecarrico/

Meet sweet Nikolas.  Silly Nikolas.  Squeezable Nickolas.  Couragous Nikolas.    Many know my mission is to photograph kids with cancer.   Most times when I photograph a child it is the first time meeting them.  This time was different.  I had photographed Nikolas two other times and this made it even more special for me. 

 I went to Papa’s farm to photograph Nikolas in a place he loved.  I loved watching him with all the people he loved, it was a great night!

 I have lots of photographs of Nikolas and I think I’ll just keep posting them reminding us to pray for him and for all the other fighters out there!

 If you would like to read his story, sign up for his Carepage. 

www.carepages.com

 nikolasball

You can sign up and get automatic updates from his momma Robin.  I have lots of other kids who I watch and pray for.  If you want to add some to your list,  email me and I can give you some more names, too many names.

Here is the boy!  (I love the contrast with Grandpa’s farmer skin!) 

A pesky bug kept finding Nikolas’ head.  I wanted to post this so he could see that I caught him.  My focus is on his eyes, the out of focus black spot on his forehead is that darned bug!

I’ll post more soon!

Gabe was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at the end of October 2006, on the same day that I photographed Mackenzie from a previous post.  As soon as mom told me the date, I shivered. 

Although Gabe looks perfect,  it was very real to me that he has been fighting a war.  He wanted me to photograph his muscles, and you can’t do that with a shirt on.  I’ll keep those pictures for his mommy but let tell you about it.  Scars, tubes etc decorated his sweet little body but that wasn’t the thing that most caught the eye of my lens.  He had tatoos!!!  OK, not the ‘normal’ kind but that of a sister’s love all over his body.  Faith wants to be an artist, I can see that.  The best tatoo was the HUGE heart on his tummy and side that said ‘mommy’. 

He brought his two sisters along.  Lexie – 14 and will be a freshman. 

Faith ~ the artist

Gabe was exhausted by the end of our ’shoot out’ (my camera – his ‘guns’!).  He fell asleep in his mommy’s arms.  I asked if she sang to him.  Did she ever!  Wowsers!   As Dawn’s voice sang the most beautiful song, I shot through four streams of tears rollng down my cheeks.  

When I talked to Gabe’s mommy about our ’shoot’, she told me how much she studies his face so she can remember every bit of it.  Dawn, I hope this will help. 

Gabe and his family would love your prayers.