A Beautiful Kid

The Developmental Disabilities Health Alliance is an organization that provides services for the developmentally disabled. Having spoken on a number of occasions with its director about their clients, many of whom have little other recourse than the help of family members, I wanted to see this first hand through the viewfinder of a camera.

I expected to witness families overwhelmed and lacking the ability to properly cope with the caring of their disabled loved ones. There are some things some folks just can’t cope with without outside help. My first subjects were Rachel and her mom Susanne. They are a far cry from what I had expected.







This is a success story. Susanne could be the poster mom for surviving daunting circumstances. “Rachel is seven years old and
has special needs. At four months old she began having seizures. Upon doing an MRI, it was found that she has a disability called SBH (Subcortical Band Heterotopia).... during pregnancy the cells in her brain stopped migrating to the place they should have and stopped dead in their path forming this thick band and leaving the outer part improperly formed. What this means for Rachel is severe delays and seizures. She is seven but much like a one and half or two year old. Rachel walks and communicates well through various sounds, vocalizations and her overall mood, but she is nonverbal still at this point…….I’ve grown so much in strength and confidence because of Rachel and really am quite proud of my achievements. The programs and people at DDHA have assisted in this growth and continue to help when we are stuck in a bind.”

I photographed a beautiful kid and her amazing mom.