Today, at 12:30,
a woman came in to the studio
with her son and her daughter.
It was her daughter's seventh birthday.
She was hooked up to a tube
through her nose which connected
to a long hose that ran to a portable breathing device.
Her name was Miranda.
Her mom told me right off the bat
that Marissa had severe ADHD,
and wasn't the best listener.
Her lips were slightly blue
and her fingernails were off color.
I brought out a background that was covered in daisies
and a big plastic number seven.
She was apprehensive at first,
yelling at her mom she didn't want to be there.
Eventually, she became more comfortable
and posed pretty well, and even smiled a lot.
Her mom told me that they had spontaneously decided
to come and take pictures today because
tomorrow they would find out
if Miranda would be put on the heart transplant list.
She was born with only one lung,
and only one side of her heart worked.
It was at that time when we decided to change the background.
Her mom suggested that I decide which to use.
I picked clouds.
Miranda didn't want to sit on the vinyl cloud background
,so I folded a piece of fake white fur,
and set it on the clouds
I told her to sit on the cloud
so she could be in the sky
She got excited by that, and sat on the cloth.
As I turned around to focus the camera,
the reality of what I just said set in.
I choked up, and felt my eyes welling.
I hid behind the camera quickly.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I somehow just stumbled upon this post today, 3-11-2021 some 12 years later.
I am Miranda's Father. I showed my wife Shelley this post and she remembers that day vividly. Miranda was put on the transplant list and on August 15th 2009 she received her new heart.
That day was bitter sweet. Unfortunately someone else's Angel had died so that mine might live.
Her life was saved, but her brain suffered from oxygen deprivation.
This caused the loss of her fine motor skills, paralysis and worst of all permanent brain damage. She is now 19 but cognitively about 6.
She has had a long hard struggle back. She has regained use of most of her large muscle groups, meaning she can walk and use her arms/hands. Feeding herself, bathing ETC.. is still a challenge.
Things don't always turn out as we hope, but, I would rather have her this way than the alternative!
By the way Jennell, the pictures turned out beautiful!!
Thank You,
Derek Effert
Post a Comment