I shoot a lot of assignments for newspapers, and most of the time those stories end up on inside pages, or on the front of inside sections. On the rare occasion that I do end up with a front page photo, most of the time it’s something having to do with news, like politics or some kind of natural disaster or freak accident.
It’s very rare for my byline to appear on A1 in connection with a story meant to directly help a local family in need. Those are counted among the best days I get as a photojournalist, and yesterday was one of those days.
A few weeks ago, I met the Farrell family. Reporter Rick Cantu and I visited their home for a story for the Statesman.
Tim and his daughter, Aubrey, 9, were diagnosed with Marfan’s Syndrome, a genetic disorder of the connective tissue, in 2009. Since then, Tim has undergone a series of heart surgeries and fears that Aubrey may need open heart surgery before she turns 18.
Tim can no longer drive, so his wife, Suzanne, tries to keep up the slack by working full time and taking Aubrey to school and Tim to doctors’ appointments.
Because of the physical complications, Aubrey can’t participate in organized sports, and she’s sometimes teased about her sparse frame. Tim has been told by doctors that he’s not allowed to pick up his daughter anymore because it could cause serious damage to his heart.
But if you met them for the first time, like I did, you would never know that anything was wrong.
They were the most positive, loving family that I’ve come across in a long time. They welcomed me in to their home and were a joy to work with.
After taking a quick portrait in the living room, we walked over to the apartment pool. Aubrey loves to swim. She couldn’t resist being near the pool and not jumping in, so she did, fully clothed.
Then she gave her mom a hard time while her dad went to get her a towel.
After everybody dried off, Tim and Aubrey curled up to read a book.
While chatting, Tim mentioned an old song that they live by called “Side by Side.” They sang a verse or two and it goes like this: “Oh we ain’t got a barrel of money. Maybe we’re ragged and funny. But we’ll travel along, singing a song, side by side. Oh, we don’t know what’s coming tomorrow. Maybe it’s trouble an sorrow. But we’ll travel the road, sharing our load, side by side…”
Every year, the Statesman selects families for their Season for Caring campaign. The Farrell family is just one of 12 families in the Austin area who were featured. All of them need a little help this holiday season. Click here to find out more about all of them, what their needs are, and how to help.
I learned today that Factory Mattress will donate new beds to the Farrell family and the Rosas family, but there are many more needs to be met. Click here to make a monetary donation.
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