Tuesday, February 17, 2009

{Giving is Awesome} Free Chattanooga Family Photography Session from Diana Simpson Photgoraphy

After reading all of the email nominations sent in we have picked the winner for the $1,000 free family session. The winners are Jonathan & Wendy Ransom and their family.

Here is the winning nomination from their friend Tiffany.


Hey Diana,
I just got on your blog and saw your give-away and I have the perfect family (at least I think so!) Our friends Jonathan and Wendy Ransom have been on a hard journey over the past three years. Their daughter Emily was diagnosed in October 2005 with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, which is a cancer with only a 30% survival rate, Emily was only 2 at diagnosis. They spent an intense 4 months getting treatment, harvesting her stem cells, and having several surgeries. On February 20, 2006, Emily went into surgery to remove the tumor and died during it. Of course her family had total faith that they would be taking her home later that week, but obviously God had a different plan. Later that year Jonathan and Wendy started a foundation called Emily's Power for a Cure, the purpose of their foundation is to help fund research in an effort to find a cure for Neuroblastoma, and also to help families in the Chattanooga area who have children fighting this disease. Last year they gave TC Thompson $300,000 to buy a pediatric CT Scanner so that children who need CT scans in the future will be able to get them in a pediatric enviornment with people who are trained to deal specifically with kids. I have watched them through this journey and have jumped in to help fight this fight. Yet, they have been through more since then. Last March, Wendy's only sister was murdered in Knoxville, it was hard to see them have to endure another tragedy, and is still hard to watch as this will be a long process they have to go through as it goes to trial within the next year. Throughout all of this I have seen a loving family who gives of themselves to others because of what they have been through and use their time and talent to help raise money and fight a disease that took their daughter. On December 21, they had their fourth child, another little girl that they named Molly, and what a great gift it would be to have one of your sessions, she loved the session you did for us!! This is definitely a deserving family who has been through what I can only imagine is the worst thing possible and are using it to help others. If you want to check out their story you can go to www.caringbridge.org and enter emilyransom (no space in between) where their whole journey has been recorded. I could probably tell you a ton more stuff but this is the "bottom line" of the story, if you need me to tell you more to "sway" you, I would be glad to!! :) I tried to find a picture on my computer but I can't, so you should look at the site because there are several pics on there. So I'm cheering for you to pick them, they totally, totally deserve it!!!! I can't wait for the 10th to see our pics, I love them!!!
Thanks,
Tiffany

I am so excited to meet this family! CONGRATULATIONS! Diana

2 comments:

Liz Power Photography said...

How could you not pick this family? I love your creativity and the way you minister. You give me many blessings. Love, Poppy

Stephanie said...

I went to a fund raiser for this family and think of them often. I can't wait to see the pictures.

NILMDTS