Meet Abigail

 Images Captured by Vanessa Balenovich Photography

This Tiny Light loves anything athletic. Her mom is sure that when her treatment is done and she is feeling better she will be right back into soccer and dance!

Abbye has acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This diagnosis was made at when she was three, on Christmas Eve 2010. Her mother’s first reaction was numbness. She remembers being told that her baby was sick and that they were going to make her better. Her focus became making Abbye comfortable as much as it did making her better.

A child life specialist helped her family to explain to Abbye that she was sick and that she would have to take medicine until she was six. This innocent and sweet little lady’s immediate assumption and fear was that she had had too much chocolate milk. Abbye’s independence has diminished. She stopped walking after a lumbar puncture in January. Other things she can’t do because of the PICC line.

Though there are frustrating times for Abbye (resulting in major fits), she has for the most part handled thing in a way that amazes everyone around her. Though she is only four, she has a desire to be involved with her treatments. Despite the chemo and many medications, Abbye still wakes up most days wanting to play.

Abbye’s mom admits that some days it’s nice to just curl up and watch movies in bed with her little girl. She stresses the importance of taking advantage of the days that sick children do have their energy! She looks forward to the time when this part of their family’s life is behind them, and Abbye can enjoy life to the very fullest. While she fears things taking a turn for the worse, she is constantly inspired by Abbye’s personality and strong will. "Whenever I see her I know that I need to be strong, because if I’m not strong for her then everything might just fall apart."

Story by Angela Stephen Dewhurst

Skylar's Story

Images Captured By Stephanie Fieldberg Photography

This is Tiny Light Skylar.  Skylar loves to watch The Gummy Bears. He could jump all day long. He loves watching the cows outside and rolling around giggling, making sounds like the goats.
Skylar was born one month early with a unilateral right cleft lip and palate, which was detected during an early ultrasound. His parents were initially devastated, but they reminded themselves that it was a fixable diagnosis.


Throughout his lip and nose surgery, Skylar remained strong. As heartbreaking as it was for his parents to hand their baby over to a team of doctors for surgery, the rewards have been amazing! His NAM fitting was hard. Skylar’s smiles turned to tears, as the NAM had to be worked on, being changed and washed several times a day.


The journey has been up and down but Skylar remains happy. His parents are proud of their strong boy as they look back at his progress. “He is an inspiration to us, because despite all he has been through, he seems to always have laughter and joy.”


Story by Angela Stephen-Dewhurst

Nicolas' Story

Images Captured by The Labour Union Photographers

This Tiny Light was born by emergency C-Section on December 25, 2010, and for that reason, his parents gave him the name Nicholas. He adores his older brother, and with steady gaze always tracks his brother’s every move. He loves grabbing hair and hoodie strings and has a special ability of making every grown up turn to mush.

Nicholas was kept in the intensive care unit for three weeks before receiving a diagnosis of Down Syndrome. All that his mom could do was hold him and apologize to him. “My initial response was complete sadness for this little baby in my arms, who would not have every opportunity in life that he wished for, and who would undoubtedly face challenge after challenge in simple life tasks.”

This was not a journey any of Nicholas’s family prepared for and it can be difficult at times trying not to think about what could’ve or should’ve been. “Down Syndrome has such a range of developmental disability, and we won’t know for some time where Nicholas’ challenges will lie.”

Although being a parent of a child with special needs brings more challenges, there is always a shining feeling of hope — hope that he finds meaning in his world, hope that he experiences the good things the world has to offer. “Our families have been very supportive. I am also pleasantly surprised by the abundance of community supports which are completely funded and very accessible.” It is only the beginning for Nicholas and his family, but at the end of the day when he is gazing back at you, sleeping soundly in his parents’ arms, this Tiny Light has all the love he needs to get by in his future journey through the world.