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Wise is he who enjoys the show offered by the world. - Fernando Pessoa

...comienzo...

...a perfect match (ronan update)...

it's incredible how fast things can happen in just one week of ronan's life.

haircuts, play dates, transfusions, and the arrival of life-altering news. the roller coaster of life. i honestly don't know how parents keep it together when experiencing something like this. but i guess you just grip onto the lap bar and try to enjoy the parts of the ride that aren't scary. you smile at the wind in your face and keep laughter in your belly rather than focusing on the fact that you're traveling at high speeds while suspended hundreds of feet above ground.

ronan's family recently learned that a perfect bone marrow match has been found. this is wonderful news for ronan's healing, but it also means that some very difficult months are approaching. just this past monday he had another small surgery (the third since i met him almost three months ago) to replace his previous port with a hickman port, which he will need during transplant.

shortly after hearing the news of the found match, and after an education on what ronan will experience in the coming months (chemo, radiation, months spent staying in bed with few visitors), rachel decided to let ronan have another play date with his friend jared (and mother, cheryl). such days filled with laughter and running around will be nonexistent for ronan until late in the year.

ronan will be admitted to city of hope in mid-june. the first nine days or so will be spent prepping his body for transplant, and the following 8-10 weeks after will be spent waiting for his body to adjust to the new marrow. this would be difficult for any person who has the kind of energy and passion for life that ronan has. but when i think about him being just three years old...well, bring on the lap bar.

...ronan update numero tres...

one of the ways ronan's life has changed since his january diagnosis has been the dramatic shift in socializing. because his immune system is fragile, he doesn't spend much time with other kids. it's possible that if he gets sick from a friend or simply from riding down a slide at a park, that sickness could end his life. every once in a while, though, time spent outdoors running around with friends is made possible. today was one of those days.

ronan and his friend meghan (their parents met at a mommy group) visited the duck pond at red hill park in rancho cucamonga. it was a perfect weather day, and ronan was bursting at the seams with absolute delight.

...update on ronan...

it's been over two months since i introduced you to my little buddy, ronan. i mentioned then that i was going to keep up with his journey, and his family has graciously allowed me to do so. unfortunately, ronan has had a tough few months which have included two small surgeries, and the continuing of his almost-weekly platelet transfusions.

my first two days spent with ronan happened to be hospital stays. the first was for a scan of his kidney's and the second was after a small surgery necessary in prepping him for transplant, once that time comes around.

in my first post about ronan i mentioned that he has aplastic anemia, which he does, but it was after my next visit with his family that i learned more. ronan actually has a very rare genetic disorder called Dyskeratosis Congenita. the aplastic anemia he has is a result of the DC. considering DC is so rare (one in apparently 300 cases in the world), doctors and geneticists are still learning about it. my time shooting at the hospital has been hindered a bit by photo policies, so you won't see any staff or "procedures" in any of the images. that's been a disappointment on some level, but instead i'm attempting to give an idea of what ronan's time there is like...

i have always believed that something good comes out of something difficult. and in the midst of this unfortunate situation, i have watched rachel and nick perform this beautiful dance of...family. there is love beneath the frustration. patience beneath the chaos. strength beneath the fear.

oh, and did i mention that amid all the chaos with ronan's medical condition, they also recently welcomed a new baby boy? yep...baby callum arrived on a saturday, march 26th (three weeks early), and ronan now enters a new adventure of being an older brother, which he has taken on very well. "bring me my baby callum!" he says...

the great thing about ronan is that although his physical body is going through quite a bit of trauma, you can still find him running around, freely and full of life, as if the past few months haven't even happened.

...ballin'...

a little over a week ago i had the opportunity to cover something a little different; san bernardino's 50th annual signature headdress ball. definitely one of the more entertaining assignments i've had in a while.

i don't know how they did it, but these ladies not only walked while balancing these giant creations, but they danced!

...elizabeth...

a few days ago i was driving along the freeway at dusk. at one point during the drive, a field of high, yellow grass lay to my right. the light dancing through the blades was gorgeous. in that moment i decided it had been far too long (a few years, actually) since i had a random photo shoot with one of my best friends. i asked, and she accepted.

yesterday i went in search of that field and discovered it had been mowed down. i found another one near by but it wasn't as nice. luckily, my friend al knew of a spot not to far away and i ended up liking it a lot more. what a much-needed evening of fun, friends and photography...