The Deserving Families Giveaway

It is time to announce the winner of the Deserving Families giveaway. I was so honored to read all the entries. There are so many deserving families in our area and I am glad I could make some kind of difference in their lives. The winner of the deserving families giveaway was the Hollingsworth family. The four judges were unanimous on the vote. One of our judges, Stephanie said, "I was really impressed by this entry. We got the full picture, and it seems like they are a strong family even through their hardships. The Hollingsworths are my first choice because I think it would be a very uplifting experience for Elyse... a great photographer makes a world of difference and it sounds like above all, she needs someone who sees her beauty." I have known this family for about 2 years and I had no clue all the things they had gone through and endured. Elyse is such a beautiful and strong mother. She carries herself so well and is optimistic through these trials. I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to work with this wonderful family. Elyse has give me permission to share her story. Thank you Elyse and Congratulations!!

"The Hollingsworth family has lived in Rexburg for about three years now. There is Michael and Elyse and their son, Carter. Michael and Elyse are both attending BYU-Idaho and Michael finally graduates this April. A few months after Michael and Elyse’s marriage, Elyse started to get sick. Carter was born in 2009 and soon after Elyse was diagnosed with Lupus. They are especially grateful for the timing of her pregnancy and Carter’s birth, because the probability now for Elyse to be able to bear another child is low.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease for which there is no cure, only methods to ease the symptoms. Lupus causes the body’s immune system to get confused on what it should attack. Instead of always targeting sickness, the immune system attacks and destroys healthy tissue in the body. The symptoms are many and occur unpredictably.

Elyse’s lupus has made her go through many physical trials from severe arthritic pain throughout her body, sores in her mouth that make eating difficult, kidney damage, and several more. It has landed her in the hospital more than once. The lupus rash that occurs with fluctuating severity on her face, hands, arms, and feet sometimes makes it difficult for her to feel pretty. The most difficult challenge for her has been losing the hair on the top of her head from the lupus rash arising on her scalp. She grew up always having long thick hair and had waist length, healthy hair at the time of her wedding. Now she has been asked several times if she has cancer and is still getting used to wearing head scarves.

Michael has been working very hard on his studies and is still a great daddy and husband, but it takes its toll on him. Making time for Carter and Elyse is a top priority for him, but it is difficult with a full school schedule and having to take care of Elyse when she needs help. Carter has learned to play very well by himself as he is an only child and Elyse has a hard time entertaining him sometimes. Lupus causes chronic fatigue which leaves her feeling constantly tired with low energy levels.

Elyse sees multiple specialists for her condition and the medicines she has to take are many. When one medicine doesn’t help to ease symptoms, it’s replaced with another one, so they often change. All of them cause unwanted side effects, but are needed to prevent deterioration. Most of the meds are meant for other conditions, but recently there has been a new medicine approved by the FDA specifically made for lupus. It is administered to her once a month through an IV and seems to be helping more than anything tried so far. Elyse has been diligently taking and applying her other medicines and her hair seems to be slowly coming back, but even if it does grow back, there is no guarantee that it won’t fall out again. They are very hopeful.

With Michael only working a few hours a week it has been difficult not to add their debt from medical bills. While the medicines that Elyse takes seem to be working as of now, they cost more than they are currently able to pay and student insurance does not cover as much as they would like. They are very hopeful that all of Michael’s hard work will pay off and he will get a good paying job with great health benefits.

The Hollingsworths have only ever had family pictures taken at JC Penny’s portrait studio. They have tried to stay current, but have not had pictures taken for almost a year now, as their portrait membership has expired. They would love a family photo session by a real photographer, but lack the money for it right now. It would be a great experience for them and they would love professional family portraits."

A special thanks to our guest judges Shayna from The Love Shack, Jessamyn from Uptown Photography, Matt from Gambrel Designs and Stephanie for Paisley Interiors. I couldn't have done this contest without them because there was no way for me to pick a winner on my own because I know a few of the contestants. And Congratulations to all the winners- grand prize to honorable mention.

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