Helping families during the most difficult time periods of their lives is not easy task. One Pinellas County woman, Sheri Kendrick, provides them with memories that will last a lifetime.
"It's been a long battle with her. I do believe that my child is going to grow up, despite of what they said," said Katrina Mays.
For Katrina Mays, her daughter Kyra, and the rest of their family it has been a tough few months. Kyra was born with Edward's Syndrome. It is a rare condition which only a small percentage of babies survive into adulthood.
"I always look at photography like a slice of magic that you can stop time for that one second," said Sheri Kendrick, founder of Little Light of Mine. "Little Light of Mine" is a non-profit organization which provides families who have a child fighting a life-threatening illness with free professional portraits. Kendrick will go photograph families in the hospital or in the comfort of their own homes. She captures the little moments so many of us may take for granted.
“There was one picture where dad and I were like this and had her feet in our hands. We looked back at her feet and said oh my gosh, look how much she has grown. It just fills our hearts with joy that we had that moment when we thought we weren’t going to have that moment,” said Mays.
“Out this other end comes a still moment of life,” said Kendrick. So far, Kendrick has photographed close to 400 families. She carefully documents their journeys and shines light on positive memories.
“We are fighting through this. She is a fighter. Look here, she say, ‘yes I am a fighter,’” said Mays.
For more information on eligibility and how to get in touch with Kendrick about Little Light of Mine, visit llom.org.
