celebrating her strength

she held her head high and looked the world straight in the eye.- kobi yamada

most of you probably already know that a huge part of my photography journey is giving. i feel that i have been blessed with this gift and i need to share, whenever i can. it completes me. i am a better, more complete person when i can give...

on july 8, 2008, kirsten was diagnosed with adrenal cancer. and that cancer had already metastasized to her liver and lungs. kirsten is only 36 and the mother of three young boys. after 9 rounds of chemo, she's currently on a 2-month break, so her body can recover a bit. while some of kirsten's tumors have shrunk, the cancer still exists in her adrenal gland, liver and lungs. kirsten will have a CT scan at the end of may, at which time they will look at what the tumors have done over the previous two months and make a decision on continued treatment options.

since we're moving in june, i wanted...i needed to photograph kirsten one more time before we left. in july and august, i photographed kirsten and her family, shortly after kirsten's diagnoses and beginning of chemotherapy.

but i really wanted to capture her beauty and strength one more time before leaving. and lucky enough, i was able to do so this past weekend. and i was not only able to photograph kirsten, but also her family and some of her extended family--her team (team kirsten). and they are all absolutely amazing. they are so filled with love, laughter, hope and faith...beyond words. we shared together. we laughed together. i can honestly say that i am blessed to have them as part of my life. and i so look forward to photographing kirsten and her family again, when i return to san diego this fall.

i so love that the above photo captures kirsten and jake talking about their team kirsten bracelets.

love you kirsten. i will forever embrace and celebrate your beauty, spirit, determination, bravery, radiance, faith, joy, laughter and...strength.  you and your family are amazing and an inspiration to all.