This post is about a beautiful woman I met almost two years ago on a cold winter night, as I attended my first home birth. I was the photographer and she was the Midwife from Lucina birth centre. I was instantly drawn to her, as she had a passion for what she was doing, and accompanied it with a great smile, friendly attitude, and a very good sense of humor.

We have occasionally worked together since, and I like her more and more, and even considered her to be my next Midwife if and when we are ready for #3. This past Christmas, we were again at a homebirth and I was so happy to learn that she is expecting her first little one, and wants me to be there to capture it all!  Not too long after this, however, I received some devastating news; ever since, my heart has been very heavy for her. I have been thinking about how I can help,  and what I can do. Well, I felt it best to help her financially, by setting up a fundraiser.

But first, please read the background about why my heart is so heavy:

Chantal was first diagnosed with cancer in 2009. It was a very rare malignant melanoma in her right eye that could spread to the liver and bones. After a multitude of natural therapies, improved nutrition, and radiation therapy, she was considered to be in remission for nearly 5 years! Then recently, 8 weeks into her pregnancy, she found out that her cancer was back with a vengeance, again with the risk of spreading to her liver and bones, but due to her pregnancy, this time it is worse, as there is a 25% chance of it spreading to the placenta and/or her baby! With her profound belief that the body can heal itself, and her deep desire to protect her baby from radiation or surgery, she has opted to do alternative cancer treatment with nutrition, acupuncture, Cranio-sacral, supplements, and vitamin C I.V.  The vitamin C I.V. treatments alone can cost anywhere from 300-450$ per week (not covered by our province’s healthcare). Her condition, along with the pregnancy, have forced her to leave the midwifery work that she loves much earlier than expected, in order to focus on her healing.

After successfully going through the alternative treatment and reaching her third trimester without the cancer spreading to the placenta, she received the news that the tumour has grown again and now has a 70% chance of affecting the baby. She recently made a decision to go through surgery and remove her beautiful eye. The surgery is scheduled for June 11; please pray for her, that everything will go well and that she will be cancer-free for the rest of her life. Please also pray that her little baby will arrive on his or her own time in peace, surrounded by loved ones, and perfectly healthy!

With that, I’m just in awe how strong this woman is, and I just can’t imagine what is she going through.  There is not much I can do at this point, but I would like to help her out by donating my time and raising money for her.  This is what I will be doing:

• I have setup a day at a nearby park for 30 minutes professional photo sessions (June 14th)
• It can be family, maternity, child, pet, whatever you think you need and can accomplish in 30 minutes.
• I have only 12 spots open, so booking as soon as you can is crucial!
• Price of the session is only $200 and it will all go to Chantal and her little baby!
• You will get to see your photos on a password-protected on-line gallery, where you can select your favourite 10 images.
• Those images will be yours in high-resolution files, so you can print and share them with family and friends.
• You will receive my undivided attention for 30 minutes, and I will photograph you to the very best of my ability.

To book your session, please contact me via e-mail (info@helgaphotography.com), or by phoning me at 780-271-5468.

The currently available session times:

Morning of June 14, 9 am, 9:40 am, 10:20 am and 11 am.

Afternoon of June 14th at 3 pm, 3:40 pm, 4:20 pm, 5 pm, 5:40 pm. 6:20 pm, 7 pm and 7:40 pm.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Love, Helga

Update: All the spots were sold out in less then 24 hours after posing it on Facebook.  A friend of mine Vannessa, from Vannessa Brown Photography also joined me and now she is taking booking for the same time, doubling out effort to raise money for Chantal. We also set up an online fundraiser so if you like to donate to her, please visit: https://www.youcaring.com/chantalsfund