There is a soft spot in our hearts for children with special medical needs–specifically those who suffer from chronic illnesses that aren’t very familiar to the general public.
Unfortunately, many children suffer daily from disorders that don’t get much press and many people just aren’t aware of their challenges, so their families often receive little financial support. At one point, our family was spending over $1500.00 per month out-of-pocket on enteral feeding formula and supplies for Katie. We had excellent group health insurance through my husband’s Fortune 100 employer, but the insurance company refused to pay for the treatment that we believe saved Katie’s life. (Her story is told in Beat Crohn’s under a pseudonym.)
Inflammatory bowel disease, for example, affects around 100,000 children 18 and under in the U.S.
Before Katie was diagnosed in 2006, we’d never heard of it. Katie’s doing fabulously now at age seven and we are very grateful for this but we also must acknowledge that her life is different from that of the average child.
She has to get her blood drawn every three months, minimum (this comes around *awfully* fast), she tires very easily, she has a brain injury from a medication-related stroke at age two, she must take a cytotoxic immunosuppressant, she’s on aspirin therapy, she’s on iron and other supplements and she frequently has some level of abdominal pain.
But she doesn’t know anything different and since she was so very sick the first four years of her life, her present seems and feels like a cakewalk to her! :)
The purpose of Katie’s Kids is to provide children with chronic gastrointestinal illnesses and their families a complimentary photography session.
Medical expenses can be a burden for families with chronically ill children and this small gesture is our way of helping these often forgotten children and families.
If you are the parent of a child with a chronic GI medical condition or you know a family with such a child, please contact me for more information on a completely complimentary session and Katie’s Kids collection.
The Katie’s Kids Collection includes:
*complimentary custom studio session
*brag book with proofs from the session
*CD with all images from the session, including print release
***all at no charge to the family
Katie’s Kids sessions typically take place at our home studio in San Tan Valley, but we can travel if there are special circumstances.
