Front page article, Vancouver Sun

[Jane Eaton Hamilton]

I am so pleased to say that NILMDTS made the front page of today's Vancouver Sun newspaper (September 13, 2008). The article online doesn't have the three large photos that are in the newspaper, the front page one above the fold, but the article is the same. The quotes from me are weird paraphrases of sort of what I said, but I loved the article otherwise, and for Vancouver parents, the placement of this article is very good news...info about this important organization is finally beginning to get out here. I know the reporter said she wept and wept as she did her research; she was truly touched.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=a32b135a-d495-4a3c-9704-ee0efb5e5a16

[Madge]

That is a great article for getting the word out!

While reading the part about the relationship area, I shook my head, though. "As a photographer, generally you have more of a bond [with the family] than the family has with you." To the family, you're just the person behind the camera, whereas I spend hours and hours in post-processing with their images. It's a very unbalanced intimacy." I will respectfully disagree with that----I don't know if what you were saying was accurately conveyed through print.

Of course I can only speak for myself, but I, for one, felt a bond with Danielle, who took our pictures. Maybe it's because I was letting her "into" a very personal part of my life--and I am generally a very private person.

Danielle and I benefitted because we were in communication before Dekar's arrival. I think it was understood that it was a unique situation for both of us. She offered a maternity session, which I had not expected, but was so happy to have that opportunity.
The day that Dekar was born I could see that Danielle was doing her best to respect the situation--and with eleven people in the room (my family), plus the nurse(s) and her, she really did well to manuever around and take pictures and capture memories. I still can picture seeing her move around and asking me if it was okay to do this or that....Even though I was focusing on Dekar and my family, I was also aware of Danielle and that she was doing this out of complete selflessness. She was taking time from her own family to be with us. As a mother (and a human being), I appreciated that so much.

I also grew a bond with Christine, who put together the slideshow. I felt she really put her heart into making it as beautiful as she could. The placement of the photos, the seamless transition of the music, everything in the show conveyed a sensitivity.

It was as if both of them were thinking, "If this were me, what would I want to see? How can I be the parents' eyes and capture the moment/life to the best of my ability?"

So, that's my story. Danielle and Christine will forever take a special place in my heart and life. This organization is what it is because of each individual photographer and volunteer--and if you only had those Danielle and Christine to represent you, you could be proud.

Again, I think it depends on the situation, the personalities, etc....but I did/do feel a bond with both photographers who worked with me and they will always hold a special place in my life where no others will.

[HAINAngel2000]

Very good article :)

[Tammy]

Wonderful article~

[Marcus Momma]

That was wonderful!

[Katherine]

i live just outside of vancouver and i saw it in the paper the other
day, and thought it was a great article! and was happy to see it in a local paper!!

[motherofthree]

This is great. Congrats. Isn't it funny - the article I was interviewed for didn't misquote me, but I know I gave them much better ones that they could have used. I do know how things can sometimes be misconstrued when remixed and or quoted out of context.

And the online articles are never as great as the newspaper versions; so much can be done with the layout, fonts, and pictures that make the article flow and look more beautiful on paper than online.

I think you did great, but I also completely agree with Madge - our photographer Jolene will always be in our hearts and prayers - I feel such a great bond with her. She was able to so perfectly capture the moments and meaning and love in our time with Kavya - like she could see into my mind exactly what I needed to remember and feel when I looked at my images later. I feel connected to her like no one else that I've ever known for such a brief period of time. As far as I'm concerned, she's family; she was in the room during some of the most intimate moments that my family has shared - she helped bathe my daughter while I was mostly immoble after the c-section, and she felt our loss right along with us as she was in the room when Kavya passed; there were tears in her eyes, and she saw Kavya's beauty just as I did (and captured it perfectly). Such a human element - not just a photographer behind a lense to me, but a person that gave so much of herself, endured pain with us, and was a part of our family for at least that period in time. She is so very special to us. The photographer moves on to other families and other losses - although I'm sure Kavya will always be in her mind, Jolene with always be the only one who gave so much of herself, her time, her effort, her innate talent, and her soul to us through these amazing images and memories of Kavya...

That being said, I think it was a wonderful article - very touching. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

[Jane Eaton Hamilton]

I didn't say what she wrote at all. All I said was that some parents were in extreme duress and barely seemed to notice the session--they were emotionally spent by then--and never got in contact afterwards, while others were in fairly regular contact and I had a personal rel't with them.

In any case, the head of our Women's Hospital perinatal palliative care team called today. She is doing a presentation at the nat'l nursing conference in Ottawa in Oct and wants to include a slideshow of NILMDTS photos and some brochures and some info about our photography. As well, I was contacted by a photographer who would like to volunteer. This is such good news, because NILMDTS is not very well known here yet.

If I could include some of what Madge and Mother of Two have said in my notes to the nurse who called, I would greatly appreciate it. You are so articulate, and it's so touching to read what you wrote above about your relationship with your photographers. I am sorry for your losses.

[Madge]

You certainly have my permission. (As long as you don't misquote me:D )

I'm glad to hear you found another photographer. Congratulations!

[motherofthree]

Of course you can use anything you need.

I thought it may be the case - I know that the media in general tends to hear and report what they want to hear...and often words taken out of context or taken from here and there then put together can have an entirely different meaning. Overall, I think the article was very touching - I don't want you to think I was picking on you or anything! Anything done to get word out about NILMDTS is a plus in my book, and overall it was well done!!!