Addilyn's Journey {Maine Lifestyle Photographer}

Oh where do I begin?  Sweet little Addilyn has been such an huge influence in my life.  She can't talk, she can't walk, she doesn't laugh, she doesn't respond to my camera or even know why I'm there, but I will continue to be there for her and her family as long as she's here on this Earth with us! 

I first met Addilyn when she was only 6 months old (you can see that session here) when a friend of theirs contacted me to set up a session for them to capture Addilyn as a baby.  They had just found out about her diagnosis with Krabbe disease and she was in a lot of pain that day.  I'll never forget it (you can read more about at the link above) and I was changed forever.

About 6 months later this past summer, when Addilyn was nearly a year old, we met again with her extended family to capture some great family shots outside.  It was a combination of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins.  It was a fun time and I was excited to see how she had grown and changed! 

(You can see that session here.)  

Ever since my first time meeting Addilyn I have never forgotten her story, her struggle or her family.  They take no short cuts in her daily care, they are fighting with legislature to change the law and implement testing for newborns to detect Krabbe disease, and are her biggest cheerleaders.  It was an honor to be invited into their home to capture their everyday life.  There was nothing posed or fake about any of this shoot and was meant to document Addilyn and her family's daily routine.  I only wish Dad had been there, but he was working hard that day.  

Prior to the session I had several families privately contact me and ask if they could donate money to help cover the cost of the photos.  I told them I was donating my own time for the shoot so there was no cost but if anyone wanted to donate money for prints and/or products they could certainly do that. I thought it amazing that total strangers were going out of their way to help this precious family. In the end a total of $205 was raised and another family kindly donated a gas gift card in the amount of $200. 

Addilyn's family was overwhelmed with the generosity of strangers and asked me to share this with you all... 

I wish I could express my gratitude through words for the outpouring of love and support our community has offered us in this time of heartache and trial. You have opened your hearts, helped with your hands and loved through your words! Our community has adopted our precious Addilyn into their daily lives and for that we are so grateful! Addilyn has been such a blessing. She has taught us and shown us the true meaning of abiding love and brought an abundance of joy to our lives. She has taught us about what is truly important in life. It's ALL the little things that count! We are thankful for this community and the love and support they have given us. We wish we could find the words to better express our gratitude. We thank you for all your thoughts, prayers and support! We pray that the Lord will bless you with anything you stand in need of. We honestly love and appreciate every single individual for every thought and prayer. It is because of them Addilyn has made it this far. I know this to be true!

Lots of Love and Gratitude,
Kyle, Jamie & Addilyn Davis

If you wish to respond to Kyle, Jamie of Addilyn then please feel free to leave comments here on the blog post and they will get them.  If you wish to follow Addilyn's Journey of Hope then you can find her Facebook page here.  Please continue to pray for their family and for a cure... there is such a thing as miracles! xoxo

It was awesome to see my previous photos of Addilyn all over the house... every time I turned around I saw another one! :)

Her nurse Connie, what a loving woman to watch interact with Addilyn! :)

I couldn't stop myself from snuggling too! <3 

Then it was bath time! One of Addilyn's favorite things to do, it totally relaxed her!