Penelope 10.01.2021 – 10.08.2021

When I get these calls, I do everything I can to get to the hospital for these pictures. This is all they have left of her…pictures. That is why I print the images for these families. So they can touch the images with their fingers and I can only hope it brings back nothing but the best memories. The smell of her, the softness of her skin and mostly her little features so they will never forget how she looks…every little detail.

This particular session, I was there to capture dad seeing her for the first time with all life saving measures removed, no tubes, and no longer alive on earth. You bet I cried! That is a question I get a lot. Well of course I cry. Sometimes with the families, sometimes when I walk out the door, sometimes on my drive home, sometimes at home, sometimes all of the above.

Little Heroes offers families with terminally ill children (18 & younger) or terminally ill adults with children (18 & under) a session, keepsake slideshow, digital files, 5×7 prints of all images and a wall portrait. Sometime we go to these families in the middle of the night, sometimes we go out of town, some are in the hospital, some are at home, some are on location…it all depends on the situation and although I have photographed many families since 2007, no two stories are the same. No two situations are the same. I never really know what I am walking into exactly.

With this said, I am humbly going to ask for donations. Little Heroes could use donations. Please consider Little Heroes for your end of year tax write off. Maybe as a business or an individual. I’m happy to send you a receipt if you want one. We have our annual fundraiser next month but could use donations now. Please consider donating to help these families receive the products and services that they will cherish forever. No donation is too small or too big. Thank you for your consideration.

How to donate:
Please use one of the following ways to donate:
1. Venmo @kam-neth
2. PayPal: kamslittleheroes@gmail.com
3. Check: Little Heroes, 2825 N. 26th St. 83702
4. Cauze APP

Sweet Olivia Poppy…

I wasn’t there for your two minutes here on earth but your few breaths were so special to your family. You were so tiny and so perfect. Three pounds of a perfect angel. It’s always sad to meet people like your parents in these circumstances but I am thankful to have met them and I love them dearly. They are no doubt, friends for life. Keep an eye on your big brother and send signs to your mommy and daddy that you are around, they will love it!

Baby Olivia was born with Trisomy 18. A condition that causes severe developmental delays due to an extra chromosome 18.

Little Heroes was called in at 1am to capture “Livy” and her parents. I honestly can’t imagine this service not being offered. NILMDTS is a program that does most of these in the hospital but sometimes they aren’t available so Little Heroes gets the call. If you love what we offer and either on a personal level or have a business that would like to donate before year end, we are a 501c3 that can give you a receipt for your donation. Little Heroes runs off of donations and no donation is too small.

What these families receive:
Session
Digital files
Keepsake Slideshow
5×7 prints of all images
Wall portrait(s)

Our annual fundraiser is coming up in November. It is our 11th year!! Beautiful portraits, Santa, snacks, craft, and giving hearts!! It’s a magical time of year!! Message me if you would like a link to book and/or more information.

How to donate:
I get a lot of questions on how to donate…
Please use one of the following ways to donate:
1. Venmo @kam-neth
2. PayPal: kamslittleheroes@gmail.com
3. Check: Little Heroes, 2825 N. 26th St. 83702

Caia – 4.15.2021
These calls are never easy, they are all unique in their own way, and the bottom line it is heartbreaking for all. Especially mom and dad. I can’t even imagine losing a child.
I can only hope that these images give their heart a big hug every time they look at them. I hope these images help them along their journey. I know they will never be the same,
and I pray for them.

Please say a little prayer for this family. They lost their sweet baby girl. We are so thankful we were able to go into the hospital to take these images for them. So thankful that both parents and both grandparents were able to meet her and love on her during these crazy times.

This family received the session, digital files, 5×7 prints of all images and a series of three wall portraits. Thank you to all that attend our fundraisers and all that donate otherwise to make Little Heroes products and services available for these families. YOU are making a difference in this world.

Please give me a follow, like and comment if you feel compelled. I share these stories to educate people about what Little Heroes offers. If you have a family to refer to Little Heroes, please contact Kam. Little Heroes is a program that offers portrait sessions to families with terminally ill children (18 and younger) and also families with terminally ill adults with children (18 & younger). Most of us feel helpless in these situations, but what a gift to give these families. The gift of family portraits!!

Did you know we are officially a 501c3?? That’s right!!
*** Let me know if you would like a receipt for your donation!!***

How to donate:
I get a lot of questions on how to donate…
Please use one of the following ways to donate:
1. Venmo @kam-neth
2. PayPal: kamslittleheroes@gmail.com
3. Check: Little Heroes, 2825 N. 26th St. 83702

Remember when I reached out and asked for donations to get outfits for a Little Heroes Family?
Well…this is it! Circumstances changed from when I asked but do you guys realize how amazing you are? You sent me $4300!! So of course, we did not spend that much on outfits but all remaining money went into the Little Heroes account! So THANK YOU!! I was literally in tears and didn’t know how to stop the money from coming in. Love your hearts!!

So much went into making this session happen. Let me give you a reminder on why we did this session first:

Brazen was diagnosed with stage 4 rhabdomyosarcoma in march 2020. He was undergoing chemotherapy and we thought things were going great! Until Saturday January 30,2021, when our worst nightmare came back. Brazen had grown two new tumors, they did surgery to remove the tumors but chemotherapy will not help and radiation will only put him in more pain, he is terminal. They said he has 2-3 good months and then the tumors will come back and will make things very difficult for Brazen. They do not believe Brazen will make it through the year.

Shopping done by Kolee (my sister), Masyn (my niece), Rylee (my oldest daughter) and me. We went to the Gap and Vans. Gap is my favorite place to buy outfits for family portraits because all of their clothes coordinate from baby to adult! We took all the outfits and went to Vans to find shoes for all of them. Umm…so cute, right???

Then, we reached out to ShipZOOM to ship the outfits to the family because they are in Twin Falls. They were so amazing to work with and were so excited to be part of this.

I needed an assistant to help me so I reached out to Kyla because she has voiced interest in being a photographer for Little Heroes. Kyla didn’t even hesitate, she had no problem driving 2.5 hours to meet me and help. We both arrived early for their session and helped them get dressed and ready.

The session was magical! The kids were so good but being 4, 2 and 1, it was also crazy. With the amazing help of Kyla and the yummy candy, Smarties…it was a success!!

A letter from her mom…

“I would do it all again, just to hold you for those moments.” On March 5, 2021 Delphi was born at 31 weeks. Her birth was highly unexpected. My pregnancy was low risk and I had minimal discomforts. Delphi’s destiny was to be a stillborn, but she had miracles to show us. The day before she was born I had an unplanned doctors appointment that I only had made because of one small and completely unrelated change. I felt off that whole day, but anxiety about being a first time mom and labor led me to believe that I was just stressed. I didn’t mention it to my doctor. I spent a long time talking to her about all of the natural birthing I wanted to do. Because it wasn’t a regular appointment my doctor almost didn’t listen to her heartbeat. But she thankfully did and it was abnormal. She wanted to be safe and sent me to the hospital to have a non stress test. After multiple failed tests throughout the night and two low scoring BPP ultrasounds we decided to try another NST. The time between the second BPP and the last NST test was only about 5 minutes. Delphi’s heartbeat had dropped dramatically and the nurse was having a hard time finding it. It was then determined that an immediate delivery needed to occur. After Delphi’s birth she was life flighted to the hospital in the nearest city. She was improving daily and her magic was showing through. But then two weeks after her birth we learned the devastating news. Her MRI results showed a level of brain damage that she would never recover from. She would never be able to breathe on her own without the help of a ventilator. She would never run, play, cry, sing, laugh, and live any resemblance of a normal life. We had to make the decision that no parent should ever have to make. Do we condemn her to a life of pain and suffering or condemn ourselves to the same. We chose to remove her ventilator and let her peacefully pass. But before doing that we chose to show her love and give her memories. We created a bucket list for her, of all the important memories we wanted to have with her. She was baptised, had a “Birth”-day party, watched many movies, listened to music, and went exploring outside. On April 9, 2021 at 11:11 am we removed her ventilator. We chose this time, 11:11 am, because that is the time you are supposed to say “I love you”. She peacefully passed in the arms of her great grandma in the early morning hours of April 10.
She had taught us so many amazing lessons in just her short five weeks on this earth. She taught us that we shouldn’t plan our whole lives before they even happen. That we need to live for today and not tomorrow. That life is not measured by the value of things you have done, but how you have chosen to spend the time you have. And she showed us what true love at first sight feels like. So to my beautiful baby Delphi, I will miss you with every beat of my heart and I will feel you in everything that I do.” Angel Aspiazu

Baby A, you are so loved…

I arrived at the butterfly room to meet baby A and his family. He was born at 38 weeks, but had a lot of medical problems that only allowed him a few short hours on earth. He passed away peacefully during the session.

I am not allowed to share names or full images so I got creative to share enough. My favorite image is with the butterflies. I think butterflies are a beautiful sign to let us know our loved ones are with us in spirit.

Please say a little prayer for this family. They lost their sweet baby. We are so thankful we were able to go into the hospital to take these images for them.

Little Heroes share…

I asked Irina to tell her story and she wrote it beautifully…please comment to let her know you are sending prayers and loving thoughts her way.

Nothing changes us as much as kids do! After baby #2 i became more and more interested in homeopathy: essential oils, coconut oil everything, diy baby wipes, detergent you name it! I watched many documentaries that made me believe that everything around us is toxic, that one in every 5 people will have cancer and with a family of 5 i was determined to avoid it. My kids barely had cake on their birthday, sugar was very limited, we ate mainly keto, we stayed active. I was also getting paranoid, i secretly hated my husband for buying bread! ( i know it is awful 😩); i often had anxiety attacks in the grocery stores. Kombucha, water kefir – we grew it. Gardening was a must. At every birthday party we went to, i was the mom that rolled her eyes at the desserts. What i’m trying to say is that i became a person that was always afraid of something, always hard on my family for no reason other that diet, i felt lonely too. As empowering as the holistic diy medicine can be, for me it became a place of very little trust in others, a place of a constant chase of a new cure, herbal tea, supplement, new must have EO….
So when i noticed that if i turn my neck at a certain angle, it looks like my lymph nodes are sticking out a little – i did what i knew best : made some new lotions with EO, increased my turmeric intake, better vitamin D and VitaminB complex, joined a gym with sauna, purchased a skin brush for improved circulation. But nothing changed. 6 months later i finally went to my family doctor. My labs were great, i had no symptoms of anything except those swollen lymph nodes. Because i was young and healthy they delayed a scan, there was no reason to even think i could have cancer. I was sent to an ENT…

It took 2 visits there for someone to look inside my nose, there they found a tumor. And yet, because i was young and healthy and had no cancer symptoms, they doubted cancer. Eventually the scan and the biopsy confirmed that i had nasopharyngeal cancer caused by EB virus -a virus so common that 90% adult actually carry it. The only odd thing was that normally that type of cancer, even though very rare, happens mainly to smoking men in their 40’s, I clearly didnt fit the profile.
I always thought in case of such diagnosis i will be on my way to Mexico. And yet here i stood extremely mad : i did everything not to be in this position, people looked at me saying ” but you look healthy”. All my healthy eating, my EO, my teas and herbs ….. nothing stopped the very rare mutation that can occur in our cells. I was mad and i felt like i let everyone down. I felt like a fake and a joke because all my natural remedies and all the health life style did nothing for me.
I was also afraid knowing from many internet sources that the Cancer clinics a pushy, very cold in their attitudes towards patients and only care about pushing you with chemo. Yet, in my research on possible Mexico trip, stories about people who were scammed in every shape and manner started to pop in my search. The natural cancer clinics locally are very expensive and are not covered by insurance.
I put my all my faith in God, my case was considered treatable, my husband has great insurance – i considered my situation as a very good one to be and we moved on with traditional radiation and chemo combo with more chemo to come. I didnt fully gave up on what i now call my woodoo life style 😜, i kept drinking my detox teas and used coconut oil and EO to help with burn from radiation. After 7 weeks they could not belive that from outside i had no burns at all. My mouth was damaged permanently, but pulling with coconut oil helped me greatly, they still suggest that trick to many radiation patients. When we started chemo i had to scale back the EO, nausea was very bad and every EO smelled awful and intoxicating. It was a rough summer. We were hoping for a clean scan in the fall.
What i did lear through his was something new to me: people where there to help in every possible way: the doctors and nurses were were compassionate and kind, my friends came in with so much help and support! I was not alone anymore, you see it is good to believe in yourself, but it is better to believe in others too!
The fall scan showed something weird on my hip. My type of cancer never goes into a hip….. everything else looked perfect, my labs were great. More investigation proved that indeed , the cancer spread to the bone. More radiation was scheduled right away. A regular check up during radiation cause my doctor to be suspicious of pain in both of my hips. An emergency scan revealed that my cancer took off like a wild fire in my bones. Yet my labs looked good.
Next we did immunotherapy – the answer to all the answers! But it failed on me. We went back to crappy chemo because nothing else works on me. Meanwhile, my labs still look good.
I had many ups and downs, my cancer keeps on spreading. Now i joke more often about EO and the new health trends, i let my kids eat fast food once in a while, we even have desserts at the house. My friends were and still are a great support system for me and my family and that is the most amazing thing to me. That was my life lesson: i dont have to do it all alone, i dint have to isolate and protect myself from everything and everybody. At this point i went past my expectation date. The doctors are not sure how i made it so far, yet every time the disease progresses in does it in a very unusual way. I became a very interesting study case.
Now i try to live everyday to the fullest i can, however it may look that day. It is all a gift, a very generous gift to me and my family. I’m thankful for the people who supported me and helped me along the way. I thankful for my lesson: life is a gift, a gift you share with others, live with others, it doesnt have to a constant battlefield. Trust in people, and above all trust in God and not unto thy own understanding.

Have you heard of our non profit? We are called, Little Heroes. We do photo sessions for families with terminally ill children (18 & younger) and terminally ill adults with small children (18 & younger). Sometime we get a call from the hospital when they have a demise or are going to deliver a baby that will not make it.

We have been doing this since 2007. We have photographed hundreds of families. We have so many stories. Just like most things, word of mouth helps get us connected with families that could use our services. That is how this family found us and thankfully the hospital allowed me to come in and take these pictures of this beautiful family. Sweet baby Henry was born at 37 weeks on October 5 and weighing in at 5 pounds, 12 ounces. His umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and he passed away in his mama’s tummy. So heartbreaking. So hard to understand. Please keep this family in your prayers.

We give Little Heroes families a session, digital files of all edited images, 5×7 prints of all edited images, keepsake slideshow and a lot of times they also receive a wall portrait.

We have officially been a non profit, 501c3 for over a year now. Our biggest fundraiser of the year is our yearly Santa Event. All session fee proceeds goes toward Little Heroes. This last spring we added an event, Cap & Gown portraits. Whoa! That was a hit! We will be doing that again this next spring right before graduation.

Do you know a family who could use our services? Most the time we all feel helpless when families are experiencing such heartache. This is the perfect gift!! It is priceless! Please feel free to message me with any questions.