When my dear friend, Misty, called to ask if I’d photograph her and her family as they said goodbye to her hair in preparation for chemotherapy, I didn’t hesitate. We have shared so much life over the years and she has poured so much love and encouragement into my spirit, this was the least I could do.
You see, my friend Misty is the girl that pulls you in. When we visited our church, Woodland Hills Baptist, way back in 2005, I didn’t know a soul there. Misty spotted me immediately in the large crowd and came over with a warm hug and a friendly welcome. Me, not really a hugger, was still so appreciative of her acceptance and kindness. (Her hugs aren’t like others. They are Lindsey-approved and really really good! Maybe I’m just a selective hugger.) Misty is an interpreter for the deaf. She has a special calling. We have worshipped together as I sang and she signed and to see interpret will bring you to tears, it’s truly one of the most beautiful things to watch. She has invested so much of her time and love to help others. That is her gift. She is always there with a hug, or a card in the mail, or a sweet text, at the exact moment someone needs that encouragement. It’s not fair that cancer picked her. She is too good to too many and doesn’t deserve such a diagnosis. But that’s the stupid thing about cancer, it doesn’t care how amazing you are.
A few months after we met, she gave birth to a beautiful daughter. At the time, I was child-less and immediately bonded with this sweet little girl. She’d come to my house every Monday and we’d spend the day together as I was then trying to get this whole photography business off the ground. We’d watch Dora the Explorer and make Target runs. We had the best time together. Misty had a second child, a boy, just 9 months after I had my son and now they are best buddies. Our lives are threaded together. My friends aren’t suppose to get cancer.
I knew it would be an emotional day. I have never photographed this particulate type of session. But Misty’s strength is contagious. The familiar verse “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” is Misty, like I’m pretty sure God was just describing her in that passage. She radiates strength and laughs in every conversation. She always sees the good. We got through it (with some tears), we did a short family session and then each family member took a turn shaving her head. Each pass of the razor was revealing her strength and preparing her for this journey. She’s a fighter. She has a mighty God in whom she trusts and is devoted to and I know He will continue to hold her hand and use her story for good.
Today is her birthday and tomorrow she will be going in for her post-chemotherapy surgery. Please keep my friend and her sweet family in your prayers. They are precious to me. Here are a selection of images from this very special session…
