I don’t often share personal things here, beyond a few photos of my little cousins or our dog, but want to share this with you all as my clients have truly become my friends over all these years getting to capture your family’s memories.   

So there is this girl, who was born when I was 16.  She is my cousin, Courtney McGill.   She has alway been a big part of my life even before she was born. I can remember predicting she was a girl while I was still in the hospital from my car accident.  And guess what, I was right. 😉

She then became my little side kick just like I was to her Dad when I was little.  I can remember her Dad putting her in bed with me when she was about 4 months old while he went outside to do whatever.  He probably wasn’t gone for long, but I was so nervous she was going to fall.  She didn’t.  But it taught me that somebody trusted me and believed in me when at the time, I was likely doubtful about what I could  and couldn’t do. 

She then became my shopping  buddy. I would buy her outfits and deck her out from head to toe,  bright sparkly pink shoes and all.  She may or may not have a slight shoe obsession because of me. 

We would often spend our Wednesday nights together as our Mom’s had Bowling League.  We would hang out, do her homework, listen to music, watch TV,  scrapbook and you could also find us baking something, too.   (Remember the cupcakes we filled too full, Courtney?)

Then I picked up a camera and she became my little model.  We would pull clothes from my closet and head outside and take photo after photo after photo.  She never complained.  You will find many, many of her photos thorughout my website and blog. 

Later my hobby turned into a business, I would then pick her up from school and she would come to shoots with me carrying reflectors, flashes lens, etc.  She continued to be my model when I was learning about studio lighting. 

So as you can see, this girl has supported, taught me so much and done so, so  much for me, even more than I have written about here.  She is truly a beautiful young lady who I am incredibly proud of.  Even more so the last month. 

On December 29th, 2017, Courtney was diagnosed with stage 4   intrahepatic bile duct (liver) cancer.  She started chemo on January 8, 2018 and will have a minimum of 16 cycles of chemo therapy. 

In the last month, she has continued to have a smile on her face and is determined to beat this fight.  And she will!  She has so many people that are supporting her during this journey. 

There will be a benefit Saturday, March 3 2018 at the Rochester Eagles Club from Noon to 6 pm with a bean bag tournament,  live and silent auction as well as a bake sale.  If you can make it, we would love to see you there.  We are also selling t-shirts, keychains, window decals, bracelets and can coolies.  If you would like to purchase  to help support her, you can find them here:  https://squareup.com/store/courtneys-fight/

Last week, we did a a photo shoot to get a recent photo for the benefit flyer, here are some of my favorites. I also had Andrea grab a couple of her and I, too. In the laughing one of her and I, she may or may not have hit me in the face while adjusting my hair.  😉  We also won’t tell you  how many photos we took together before we got one we both thought was perfect. lol 

To follow Courtney’s journey, please read her Caring Bridge here:  https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/courtneymcgill/

Please keep Courtney and her family in your thoughts and prayers during this journey. 

Courtney’s Fight— No One FIGHTS Alone!—Team McGill