Faces of Hope

{Faces of Hope}

(Images are posted oldest to newest. The most recent photos are towards the bottom of this page, just scroll down)

{Faces of Hope} is something to give back to families who are affected by childhood cancer, or serious illness. Only God knows what tomorrow holds, but we must be thankful for today. That is something my dear friend Amy tells me.

We all pray for Cancer free for everybody, but nobody knows when that day will happen. 

With {Faces of Hope} our goal is to donate portrait sessions to families with Children diagnosed with a life threatening illness. Give something with no strings attached, no pressure, no responsibility, just as simple as a gift of family photos to help put a smile on your face, and help capture your family together.

If you, or somebody you know in the central valley, Ca would be interested in contacting HMP for a session, click the 'book a session' tab up top over there, and send an email!

 Now, this is the reason behind my passion for {Faces of Hope} 


Amy is a wonderful mother. I was so lucky to meet her shortly after my husband and I started dating. She was a friend of his. I totally stole her away! I have admired her strength and commitment to God that she has kept through everything these last few years and I can truly say, I am inspired by her! Thank you Amy so much for sharing your heart with my family, and for the great friendship we have. This is something I pray we can always do together! Reaching out to other families and working as God would want us to. I love you! 

Here is their story: 

Our Journey begins with Hope! On May 12, 2009 Noah was diagnosed with ALL-Leukemia & our life was changed forever. I say 'our journey' because Noah's Battle is my Battle too! He is the Super Hero & I am the sidekick :) We went from trips on the weekend to complete isolation. From Noah's hair growing faster than I could cut it to hand fulls falling out on the pillow. We have been very blessed throughout this journey despite Noah's toughest days when I break down and ask... Why? I don't think I will ever understand why this has happened during my time here on this earth. I can only guide Noah where to look to during it ALL... so with that we choose to believe that God has a plan for us and we find our HOPE in him every single day! Noah always says when my Leukemia is over, he looks at this as an obstacle in his path & believes that he will win! Tunnel vision is what I refer to it as. He is focused on a goal of remission and chooses to always look ahead.

{ Meet Gina, Kobe and Devon  }

Here is Kobe's story:


 On Sept 10, Kobe had fell and hit his head at school. I had taken him to his pediatrician to have him checked out. The following day, Kobe seemed to be feeling worse. So I took him to Children’s Hospital for a CT scan. It was then and there in the emergency room where I found out that they discovered a tumor. The tumor is what caused him to lose his balance and fall. There were signs but they were so common with everyday life with kids that you would not think twice about them.
Needless to say it was a total shock to all of us! At that moment life as we know had changed for us. So he was admitted into Children’s Hospital that night. On Monday, Sept 15th he had brain surgery that took over 6 hrs. The surgery was the longest 6 hrs of my life. They successfully removed the tumor completely, but it was a malignant brain tumor (anaplastic medullablastoma). Kobe stayed in the ICU for at least 4 days. Kobe was in so much pain and just wasn't his happy self. He was so helpless and needed so much help! He wasn't able to use his right hand and leg like he used to (it was like he had a stroke). His eyes also crossed in. He was so down, upset and depressed a little. He then moved back onto the floor where he stayed until Sept 30th when he was discharged. Later that day after being discharged we had hit the road to travel to San Francisco to prepare for our meeting with the specialist at UCSF on Oct 1st. We had a great visit and a positive outlook on what was to come.
I could honestly say I did not really absorb everything that was going on because it was all happening so fast. But eventually I did with the love, support and prayers that we received from family and friends. But most of all I remember never giving up and keeping my faith nearby. Being a single parent of two boys was hard, but this made it a little more difficult on all of us.
On Oct 29th he began the six weeks of his first treatment session which consisted of brutal chemotherapy and radiation every day. He completed his therapy successfully. His mri's showed up clear!! He even gained 30 lbs which he needed! Kobe's attitude changed and he was back to being his positive self which made his family so happy. He had a break from mid-December to the end of January. We had met once more with the specialist at UCSF before we started the next phase of therapy.
He completed his six sessions of chemotherapy in July 2010, where he had to stay in the hospital for a few days to insure he is hydrated and that the chemo is not affecting any other part of his body. He had and still has continuous appointments with physical therapy, occupational therapy, ENT, ophthalmology and endocrine. He continues to have success in physical and occupational therapy where he is getting stronger and better as each day goes by as he lost strength in whole right side of his body after the surgery. He has had eye surgery which put his vision back to 20/20 and he has no more crossing of the eyes.  He has goals set that I have NO doubt he WILL reach when it comes to his therapies.
Kobe and I as the rest of my family are so grateful and thankful for all the thoughts, prayers and support that we receive. He is now 12 ½ yrs old and will be in 2 yrs remission in Sept of this year. Kobe is the strongest kid I know!! He has overcome and will continue to overcome so much more. He has been through so much in his young life but it will only make him stronger. Today Kobe is a true superman in our eyes, he is an inspiration to us and many others as he faces many obstacles and does it with a smile most of the time. He is one brave and strong young man. Kobe is a sweet natured and shy young man. He is a very loving and thoughtful person. His smile warms your heart along with his dimples (just ask the staff in the Oncology Clinic). He is very artistic, loves to draw, do crafts and building with Legos. He has entered his work, baking and vegetables he has grown in his garden at the local fair every year. He has done this for 8 yrs now. His song through this whole journey is "A Little Bit Longer" by the Jonas Brothers. This song got us through a tremendous amount of tough times!  We are looking forward to many more years with him!

 { Here is 'Lil Scotty}

Adorable, sweet kid, here is a 'lil something about Scott: 

'Lil Scotty was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma on April 1, 2011. Scotty is stage 4. (High risk) He was born on April 16, 2008.Scotty is now 3 years old and full of JOY! He likes music, sports, and playing with Dad on the playground. Scott has 3 sisters, Domonique, Jocelyn, and Mekela. Scotty has a very beautiful and strong mother, and her name is Ceci. We thank you for your prayers! 
- Scott Andrew Fauber I  

{ Meet Sadie }

Sadie was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on Feb. 19th, 2010,4 days before her second birthday. She was in remission a few months later and continued her treatment plan. On October14, 2010 Sadie came down with a pneumonia infection and was admitted into the PICU at children’s hospital central California. 3 days later Sadie was on a breathing machine, 2 chest tubes, 1 stomach tube and 35 different medications. Drs had told us they were running out of options and didn't think she was going to make it. By the grace of God Sadie made a full recovery in 1 week with the help of Dr. Gollub, the wonderful nurses, and physical therapy. 1 yr later Sadie has started preschool and a dance class! She will receive her last dose of chemo on June 12th, 2012!!!

 

Childhood Cancer Awareness!

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month! And around here, we try all we can to raise awareness and host fund raising events. Thank you to FULL THROTTLE MOTORCYCLE SHOP for allowing the bake sale to take place in your shop this year! And a huge thank you to EXIT REALTY for putting together an amazing BBQ lunch fund raiser! These fund raisers were put together to raise funds for the 2011 Fresno CureSearch Walk. Join the team by clicking here -> TEAM KIDS GET CANCER TOO and you can donate online! On behalf of all of the people apart of these events this month, I want to say thank you! Thank you to all of the cancer fighting Moms who are fighting this fight with their children, for sharing your stories and being an inspiration for others. I am very thankful to be involved in helping find a cure. Every step may be tiny, but when we are all doing something together, it WILL make a big difference!

{ Meet Lexi }

{ Lexi's Story }

Alexis "Lexi" Hill was born October 9th 2001. The pregnancy was a roller coaster ride of "minor complications" which ironically seems to have followed her into childhood. Shortly after birth she began constant vomiting, posturing, screaming, and just appeared miserable. She would vomit everything she consumed. She would constantly choke and turn blue caused by aspiration. She was diagnosed with a severe reflux and minor pulmonary stenosis. She spent her first year of life on an apnea monitor that would alarm several times an hour if she stopped breathing during sleep. From the aspiration she developed upper airway disease and chronic pneumonia requiring frequent hospitalizations. From frustration of no real diagnosis we took her to Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. She was kept on tube feedings and many medications till she was strong enough for a corrective surgery called a Complete Nissen Fundoplication to prevent any refluxing of food. She recovered beautifully but her issues continued. She began to walk into walls and tantrum while banging her head on the floor. She refused to sleep. No one knew what was wrong and no one knew how to help. She was tested for Autism but despite having many characteristics of Autism she has speech, makes eye contact ,and doesn't avoid affection. In 2005 we lost her father in a motorcycle accident and because of his self employment we lost our health insurance. A few months after his death and still no insurance, Lexi had a rectal prolapse that required surgery. Her vision started to deteriorate requiring bifocals. After finally getting health insurance we began diagnostic testing again. This time she was diagnosed with mild mental retardation and a processing disorder. Genetic specialists say she is one of many children with undefined and named genetic disorders. The problem is that without a proper "label" these kids do not recieve proper services from our social service system or appropriate intervention and resources, that also includes not qualifying for any financial assistance with medical. Lexi has 3 other siblings that are learning to be patient, compassionate, and supportive with her behavioral issues. She is 10 but emotionally 4. We take each day one day at a time and do not know what the future holds for Lexi as health issues arise when they we least expect them. She is a sweet little mother hen that adores animals, books, and movies. We are hoping with continued prayers and persistence we will eventually receive proper services to help her with her daily living and independence.

{ Meet the rest of her beautiful family }

{ Meet Emma }

{ Emma's Story}

Emma was born with a congenital heart defect. When she was two days young, while still in the hospital after her delivery, the on-call pediatrician picked up on her heart defect and her heart journey began. She has had three heart surgeries, so far; 2 months old, 7 months old and 2 1/2 years old. Two of her heart surgeries have been open heart surgery (OHS). Her most recent OHS was this past February, lasting 9.5 hours, and along with it came some complications, one being a collapsed lung, which took a while to heal and required some extra special care. Her complications extended her stay in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, required frequent follow-up appointments once she was discharged and lengthened her recovery by requiring a very special diet as well as a liquid restriction once she was home. She was finally all cleared from this past surgery in the middle of June, only to find out that she is facing her third OHS and will have multiple OHS' throughout her life. We are currently waiting for the time to come when we have to hand her over, yet again, to her surgeon who will stop her heart, work on her heart and hopefully, and prayerfully, help her heart. She currently has visits with her cardiologist approximately every four months where she receives an EKG, echo cardiogram, x-rays, and sometimes lab work and an MRI. We are so very proud of her, she is so strong and so very brave!

{ Meet Carson }

{ Carson's Story }

Our journey to battle ALL started 2 months ago, August 8, 2011. A little over a month before Carson was diagnosed he had been sick with a cold, an ear infection and off and on fevers that just lingered and never completely went away. I had taken him to his doctor a handful of times and was told he was just fighting a bug... Each week he seemed to show a different symptom, he grew increasingly tired wanting to sleep alot (which is not the usual Carson), he kept getting new bruises, and the last straw that made me march back to his doctor demanding some explanation was little red dots in patches on his body. When we arrived to the doctor on that Monday she saw him and knew something was not right, so after some  rushed blood work we got the diagnosis every parent fears... Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. We were crushed and in fear for our baby! We were admitted to Valley Children's Hospital that very night. After a long and very emotional first week at the hospital we put all our trust and faith into God to heal our son and give us all the Strength we needed to start this new road... God has not failed us for one second, Carson's tests have all come back in his favor so far and he is strong and responding incredibly well! Carson is a special boy and has a light shining in him so bright for the Lord Jesus! He is two months into treatment and his body is in remission and fighting! He is a loving son and big brother, his smile will melt your heart and light up the room at the same time! He is always there to tell us how much he loves Mommy, Daddy and baby brother Chasey! If ever we are struggling with the day he reminds us what is important. He is a treasure and a gift from God! Our family is truly blessed! Carson is so smart and knows what is going on and he is nothing but positive and in good spirits from the time he wakes up each day until he falls asleep at night. He is our hero and our inspiration of Hope and Faith! If we can share any advice or words of encouragement it would be those two words.... Hope and Faith! God bless our Carson and God bless you all!

 

{ Meet Danae }

 { Danae's Story }

Our story Begins in June of 2006 when our sweet baby girl got sick and had an uncontrollable fever. Danae was 16 months old and was normally a very happy baby full of smiles and laughter.

On day three of her fever , she was then refusing to do anything but lay on the floor  and cry, we got really worried.  We decided to take her to the pediatrician. Danae would cry but no tears would come from her eyes, her lips were now chapped as she was dehydrated.  She has also started to refuse to nurse and she had petichiae on her legs.

We went to see our Pediatrician, he checked her & then sent us to the children’s hospital of central California. We arrive to the hospital and after a lot of testing, we were shocked to hear she had Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). Danae received a double lumen broviac the following week, started Chemotherapy and received many spinal lumbar punctures and bone marrow testing. It was very hard on us all. Danae didn’t crawl yet because she has Down Syndrome and had low muscle tone but she rolled around a lot, we nicknamed her crocodile NayNay, she would give the nurses some extra work untying her IV lines daily..lol

Danae learned to crawl & even stand while in the hospital, it took a lot out of our family but we got through the cancer and she went into remission on Jan 3rd,2007. We were very excited to hear she had responded so well to all the medications and was on her way to becoming a healthy child again. Danae got surgery again in March of 2007 to remove her broviac. Everything went well and we were going to start outpatient services there at children’s in the Craycroft Center. Danae received blood draws so frequent she knows the routine and likes to help the nurses and Dr’s out. Danae has made many friends at the outpatient oncology, she loves music and loves to dance. Danae has an older brother named Daniel Jr, a little brother named Nathan and a baby sister on the way, she is a very loving child, we are very blessed to have her. On January 3rd 2012, our 6 year old daughter

Danae will be in remission and CANCER FREE for 5 Years, Thank you Jesus!

{ Silly brothers are back! } 

{ Beautiful Sadie }
Sadie is on path to be finished with treatment very soon! Big Thanks to God! 

{ Faces of Hope Portrait Event }

When this project first started, it was a big jumble of things. Well, Amy and I had the idea to use my photography as a way to reach out to families. There are a lot of families that feel they are alone in this situation. There is also a lot of heart ache, stress, and no child should have to know this kind of worry, nor should any family have their innocent child affected like this. In this world, it happens. There isn't anything that can change the path we are on, until the cure is found. We all pray for that day. 

So I will make this a "long story short". We met for dinner one evening trying to figure out when we could have a day of sessions for families. How will we find the location? What will we call it? How can we get in touch with families? It was all a blank piece of paper and a plan to get out there. I couldn't wait to call my friends who are also photographers Cherie, and Kay. They both were with me at the first { Portrait Event} along with our 'assistant' Krista, and of course Amy was at our first event, so she could connect with families,  it was a wonderful day. It was actually Cherie who came up with the name { Faces of Hope}. There were a lot of different names we kept throwing out there, and when Cherie brought this one up, it stuck. I love it, and I am so proud of it. I couldn't think of anything else, these ARE the faces of hope for a cure. These children ARE THE REASON we all fight for! 

There will be another portrait event on May 5, 2012. I am looking forward to meeting  more families, and helping capture memories for others. 

I want to thank all of the families who participate in these events! Helping spread awareness, sharing your story for others to see, and families see they are not alone. I am inspired by all of you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! 

{ I got to see Sadie again! }
I am so happy I get to see Sadie on what feels like a regular basis of every 4 months! Her whole family scheduled a session for Christmas photos, and for the blossom season her Momma brought her to see me for some updated photos. Her hair is growing so fast and she almost totally warmed up to me this time! She is so shy and reserved, she wont even talk to me during our sessions. I swear, one day, she'll finally say "Heather, you're kinda cool, I just like making you work for my cute looks!" :) 

   
{ Some beautiful new photos to share!}
We are thankful to announce that {Faces of Hope} has brought us to meet some more families! I will post a couple photos for now, and will be back soon to update with their full story, and share their photos with you all :) 

 

{Meet Josef}

and his awesome family!

 Josef was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on April 19, 2009. I still have flash memories of the time I got the initial phone, calling my husband to have him meet us at the hospital and finally looking at Josef's face for the first time since hearing he may have cancer. Although I simply refused to believe he had cancer, his dad and I were in a fog of fear desperately trying to grasp information and understand what was happening. Meanwhile, Josef immediately started tests, received blood and platelet transfusions, and had surgery to implant a mediport. Chemotherapy was next. Josef had to endure countless blood tests, spinal taps, chemo medications, blood and platelet transfusions, steroids, and many inpatient hospital stays. In spite of all of this, Josef has had a great attitude about his leukemia. At just five years old Josef said he didn’t like the word cancer and that he prefers leukemia because “it sounds better.” I think he is right; cancer is an ugly word. When he was six he carried his own pocket size “goop” (hand sanitizer) to school and has always been very responsible using it all day long. When he was seven, he started accepting some restrictions as necessary instead of just unreasonable. At just 8 years old, on July 6, 2012, Josef was able to say he survived 39 months of chemotherapy! Although my husband and I will always worry about a relapse, we are so thrilled to have Josef where he is today. Being off treatment means he will continue monthly clinic visits to check for signs of leukemia, however, it also means he now gets to participate in 3rd grade without the dark cloud of chemotherapy.

 {Meet Gisela}

 

 It all begun in Feb on 2010.. She was only 10 months when she was diagnosed with ALL...she begun treatment right away. It was supposed to be a 2 year long treatment..but unfortunately in October of 2011 she relapsed.. Because of that she needed to start chemo again.. This time it was in higher doses.. And a bone marrow transplant was kept in mind as well.. Before I could decide wich one to go for she has kidney and heart failure, this sent her to the intensive care unit and a hospital stay of 4 months..so after this the docs decided to go for the transplant because she was at risk of not tolerating the chemo.. So on June 1st of 2012 she had her

stem cells transplant.. After her transplant she had spinal taps with chemo in her spine once a month for 6 months... Today she is still kind of struggling because her donor cells keep going up and down..and they have to be up to 100% or shes at a higher risk of a relapse.. Gisella is a happy 3 1/2 year old little girl we will celebrate her 4th b day on April 4th ( with Gods will). She is a strong and brave little girl.. But she has her attitude as well.... but were hoping and praying that with this transplant that she had she be cure and the cancer wont come back. We want her to have a normal life because as much as we try it's not normal to be taking medications every day to be in the hospital every 2 weeks to get poked..I dont want her to live like that any longer.. I want her to be able to go to school.. She wants to be a nurse when she grows up.. And she wants to have 2 babys ..and of course I want her dreams to come true!