trigger warning: cancer diagnosis
Alexa and I met summer 2023 when she was interested in joining my team (for those new around here, I used to run a team of seniors that would do fun shoots and market for me). Instead of the usual 30 minute chat, we ended up talking for 3 hours, bonding over everything from Disney to having an autistic family member. She was cool, easy to photograph, and had great style.
Fast forward to spring 2024...
Originally Alexa’s senior shoot was scheduled for April. She was dreaming of flowers and lots of sunshine. But over winter, she went to the ER for pain in her shoulder. While there, they discovered that she had stage 2 lymphoma. After more tests, they found there was a tumor the size of her heart pushing on her heart and lungs, which meant it was inoperable and they needed to get a handle on it asap. When she called to tell me, I can’t even tell you, the strength and resolve in her voice was incredible. Meanwhile I just wanted to jump through the phone and hug her. 🥺 With that, not only did we have to move her date to much sooner (early March), but with there being so much rain that week, we literally had ONE day to make this work. The following morning she would start chemo.
Not about to let this girl down, I sprang into action trying to find ANYWHERE with flowers and a possible indoor location option with flowers in case of rain. Massive thanks to Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden for letting us in, for free mind you (normally a $200 fee), no questions asked. The wonderful and insanely talented Megan Oliveri gifted Alexa hair and makeup (which I had intended to pay for) to help her feel perfect for her big day.
So funny story... I had wanted to surprise Alexa with a gorgeous dress to wear for her shoot in the gardens. I found the one that screamed her, had it rushed, and it arrived on time and beautiful. When I brought it in to show her, she grinned and said, "You're not going to believe this..." She had brought her prom dress to use for her shoot in case she wasn't going to get to go. Y'ALL... it was almost IDENTICAL. We laughed and also I was pretty impressed that I knew her style well enough to grab a dress that she basically already owned. hahaha It was intended for the style closet anyway, so if you like it, it's here for you to borrow for your own shoot! ;) We used it for Daniel Stowe then she used her prom dress for the tulips.
Because Alexa was really hoping for lots of flowers, I was determined to find something, anything, blooming that would be close to what she had in mind. We were barely out of February, so that was a big ask but I wasn't going to give up. Enter Anjelica of Five Blossoms Farm where her beautiful tulips had bloomed a couple weeks before everyone else's!
If you've never been, her whole property is gorgeous, and she also hosts events like bouquet making! Her twin girls had just gotten home from school when we arrived, and they made it their mission to make Alexa feel special. They made her a card and kept bringing flowers to her. It was so so sweet.
While I know the reality of facing chemo in the morning and having a bit of a looming cloud following us during the shoot, I really really hoped to give Alexa the most perfect senior photo experience I could. She and her family were thrilled with how the images turned out, and now we're praying for the BEST outcome for Alexa.
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UPDATE ON ALEXA - 10/22/24
After 6 months of intense chemo, clocking in at over 600 hours, and after a bit of a scare at her initial follow up where they were concerned it had not worked... I am incredibly happy to share that as of October 11th, Alexa is CANCER FREE!!
We actually shot these back at the end of summer in hopes we'd get to make that official announcement soon. Unfortunately, we had to wait a couple months before making it official but thankfully we got to! I love that her cuteee boyfriend Griffin got to tag along for a few. I know when you're in high school (for him, hs graduate and in the military now), it feels like "no duh of course my boyfriend will stick around". But as a grown adult, I can look backwards a bit and know how most boys that age could be easily overwhelmed by it all and bail. I am so impressed with this guy and how he stood by her this entire time.
Also a huge shoutout goes to the manager of Coquette, a lovely French restaurant in the heart of uptown Charlotte. He saw us standing outside with her sign and invited us in to use whatever part of the restaurant we'd like. He is also a cancer survivor and wanted to encourage her in any way he could. It was absolutely wonderful of him, and I'm obsessed with how those turned out!
Congratulations to Alexa! I'm so incredibly excited for you and your whole future ahead of you!!
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