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This is the second year that I had the honor of meeting and photographing the winner of the Mom to Mom, NWI’s Deserving Mom Contest.  A photo shoot with little ol’ me was the grand prize for the winner, which is really such a wonderful feeling…but the gift was truly all mine to have the chance to meet Rea and to listen to her story.  There are people you just love the minute you meet them, and Rea is one of those special people.  She is radiant and glowing with her love for life and for her family, and her positive perspective has stayed with me ever since spending the morning with her.  I’m excited to share these images with you as well as some of her story, in her own words.

But first, in the words of the friend who nominated her, meet Rea:

She’s married to her husband Don, and they have a 6 year old daughter, Aira. Rea suffers from fibromyalgia and pulmonary hypertension. She was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension three years ago and was given an estimate of about five years to live. However, due to her positive outlook, treatment, and care for herself, her health is currently stable. Rea hasn’t accepted her diagnoses as fatal, and instead of worrying and focusing on the possibility of death, she embraces life and tries to live her days to the fullest with her daughter.”

“When I was younger, I never imagined being a stay at home mom. I always worked; I often worked two jobs, and so I imagined that’s what I would continue to do. It wasn’t until we were pregnant with her – in theory things always sound different, but then when the reality is there you realize you want to spend every minute you have with these precious little things; they are the most important thing in your whole life. I consider myself exceptionally lucky that I get to be home with her and have the one-on-one time that we do. And that she gets to know I’m always around for her is really important.”

“When I found out that I had some of the health problems that I have, it was kind of a wake-up call. The light bulb went off:  When she’s running back and forth in the yard and says ‘chase me, mom,’ I want to make sure I can chase her instead of saying ‘no, I can’t do that.’ I might not ever be able to keep up like younger moms, but I’m trying very hard to get in shape and maintain my health a little bit better – all while trying things I always wanted to do. I always wanted to learn how to play the ukulele, so I got one, and I tried it.  I’m going to try the flying trapeze in Chicago – we’ll see how that goes!  My girlfriend and I took a modern dance class last summer, and even though I’m not a dancer, it was amazing to see how much we learned in a matter of a few months.  I became stronger and more confident so I started taking ballroom, Latin, and Salsa classes. It’s one of the best things I’ve tried!”

“Her whole lifetime is contingent on what I do now. Her whole opinion of herself is contingent upon these years. So then her children – how she raises them comes from how I raise her.”