I'm really honoured to be able to share Grayson's incredible story with you all. It's a story that begins with absolute heartache during pregnancy, and becomes a rollercoaster journey of every emotion possible. And now, proving to be a total little miracle, beautiful little Grayson is 13 months old, and his story is one of hope, delight, love, strength and bravery! While the journey ahead won't always be easy I'm sure, he's defied the medical odds, and he is now a gorgeous, happy, cheeky, clever little toddler! His family are some of the strongest people I have ever met and it has been a total honour to photograph some of their journey! I'm so grateful that Grayson's amazing parents, Melissa and Wayne, have allowed me to share these images of hope. Melissa also agreed to share a piece she wrote for his birthday, which will give you a bit more of the back story. Prepare your tissues people...
| "Our precious warrior Grayson, today you are 1. What a roller coaster your life has been. Being told at our 20 week scan that you had a heart defect shocked your Dad & I, we never imagined something like this would happen. By 22 weeks we had a scan in Christchurch, they found some more defects but told us your heart would be fixed when you were born, by 24weeks our lives came crashing down when we went to Auckland & the cardiologist found your heart defect was very severe, very rare & not fixable. You were not compatible with life & would not even survive the pregnancy. Fast forward to 33 weeks & after multiple scans & a wee bit of hope from a doctor in Dunedin we went back to Auckland, the cardiologists were very surprised I was still pregnant they were sure you would have been born sleeping by now. We had some more scans & a amniocentesis (ouch) & a quick meeting to be told nothing has changed & even if they could fix your heart they couldn’t fix your small lung that had been squished by your big heart. So off home we go broken & defeated. We had one last phone call to say you would be born on comfort care. We arranged to be induced at 37 weeks in Dunedin, we had a quick chat with a paediatrician, just to be prepared for everything, he said you would probably pass away during labour or very soon after birth. The 8th of September 2017 you made your grand entrance after a quick 4 hours, you were pink & screaming!! You were beautiful with a big mop of dark hair. All the doctors came rushing in & sorted me & checked you over, they told us everything was still the same & you would slip away soon. Over the next few hours doctors & nurses were in & out checking you, telling us you’ll be gone in a couple of hours, then it changed to 12 hours, then 24 hours, 48 hours etc. One doctor decided to get you another scan & send you down to nicu, they tried so hard to get starship cardiologist to reconsider seeing you, they said no. The doctor was devastated & struggled holding back his emotions telling us the news. Day 3 we decided to bring you home to Winton. Borrowing a car seat & all as we were not at all prepared for a living baby. The first week of having you home was tough, a lot a hard conversations & big decisions were made. Over the last year you’ve thrived & showed your doctors your here to stay, you’ve had your first surgery & been pretty happy & healthy since. Here you are showing the world that miracles can happen. You have so much character, your expressions are hilarious, such a beautiful boy. We can’t wait to see what the next year bring. Special thanks to our family & friends for all the support & love. Also to our amazing midwife Nikita freeman, photographers Kimberley Cheyne Photography, Megan Graham Photography & the lovely Jennie for the casts. The biggest thanks to give is to the selfless parents who donated their precious babies valve so our baby had the chance to live, who ever you are, we thank you for giving the greatest gift of all." |
Going back to September 8th, 2017... I got a call through our amazing local Dunedin charity, 'A Star is Born', asking if I could photograph a wee baby who, devastatingly, was very unlikely to survive the birth. A Star is Born provides bereaved families of babies with professional photographs, hand and feet castings, and Love-loop necklaces as keepsakes of their precious babies. Feeling totally broken for this family, I arrived at the hospital room 30 minutes after Grayson was born. His big sister, Lilly, took my hand and proudly led me to see her new baby brother. I was surprised to see this beautiful, tiny wee baby feeding and looking so well, despite knowing there were so many complications inside his wee body. It seemed so utterly unfair that he could slip away at any moment. There was a tender mix of total love, adoration, sadness and devastation in the room, knowing their time with him was most likely going to be very short. I just stood back and documented this precious time, as extended family members came from all over to say both hello and goodbye to wee Grayson. He was showered in love and cuddles. His great-grandmother blessed and prayed for him. They soaked in every tiny, cute little detail of this darling boy!
And they also introduced Grayson to another incredibly precious boy - his older brother, Harley, who sadly passed away at age seven. I cannot even begin to imagine the grief they were feeling that night when they were thinking they could also be losing their precious Grayson.
And they also introduced Grayson to another incredibly precious boy - his older brother, Harley, who sadly passed away at age seven. I cannot even begin to imagine the grief they were feeling that night when they were thinking they could also be losing their precious Grayson.
When I got home that night, I said to Liam that I felt like there was something special about this wee fella. He was a fighter and I didn't feel like his journey was over yet. Over the next few days, I was amazed to receive updates that despite everything, he was doing well and putting on weight. Days turned to weeks, and weeks to months, and Grayson was able to have major heart surgery. I have been so grateful to receive little messages since then letting me know how well this wee man is doing! And obviously being able to photograph him and his family for his first birthday was amazingly special! He and Lilly were soooo happy and well behaved and couldn't have been more perfect to photograph if they had tried :)
Melissa and Wayne always want Grayson to wear his scar with pride, so we did a few photos to show it off...
SUCH a gorgeous family! Such a privilege and pleasure to photograph you guys. I can't wait to see Grayson grow from strength to strength! You are all just so amazing. Thank you for allowing me to share his story xoxo
