Little Miracles Ministry is an organization with the purpose of creating professional keepsake photos for those who have suffered a recent loss of an infant or have a child who is terminally ill. This program is completely free of charge and all original photo rights are transferred to the parents entirely.

A Celebration of Life

A child is a precious miracle and something that should be celebrated. It is truly an honor to have parents share their stories and sweet angels with me. My goal is to capture tender moments that will help bring comfort to a lifetime of separation and allow the parents to be proud to share their baby with others.

I believe a grieving parent should NOT have to pay one penny to have beautiful professional photos of their precious one.

What They Receive   The parents will receive all 4x6's in a photo album with a CD that holds all of the full-size, original photographs. The parents will also receive complete photo releases so they can make prints & enlargements, share their photos, and use them in any way they would like. If the family cannot afford to have prints & enlargements made, I am pleased to take care of this free of charge as well.

Reaching the Grieving Parents

There is a burden for reaching out to the parents who have recently lost a precious one. It is not the task itself that is the burden, but knowing what they could miss for a lifetime if they do not call back. We try to e-mail people and follow-up with a phone call, but sometimes it takes convincing from a friend or loved one as well. By showing them other angel babies on this website, it is a quick, non-threatening way for them to understand what they will get. If they choose not to accept, we can rest knowing that we did our very best.

When parents choose to share their Little Miracles with other grieving parents on this website, they are truly touching other grieving parents in a very personal way & helping them make a decision that could have a lifetime impact on them and their family. We want to be as sensitive as possible to each parent's personal walk in the healing process and sharing photos on this website is completely optional.

How I Work

At a time when professional photography is furthest from thought, I am here to step in and assist the family so they do not have to think about a thing. Because everything happens so fast and the parents have so many questions coming from every direction, I want to make things as easy as possible for them; I only need to know two things:

1. Name of the Funeral Home
2. Date and Time of the Funeral/Prayer Ceremony

This photo session is an intimate and sensitive time when the parents can hold their baby in their arms and spend time as a family. We set up the session 1 hour just before the "family time" preceding the funeral or prayer ceremony. If there is a viewing in addition to the ceremony, we can schedule the photo session on a day of the viewing.

I will contact the funeral home director and make sure things get set up. I also ask (if the baby's condition permits) to have makeup applied carefully to the hands and feet as well. I request that the booties be left off initially, unless at the parent's request. I ask parents to any bring special blankies, teddy's, and momentos that they would like to remember their baby with.

Because all of the arrangements happen within such a short time period, please contact me immediately. I can come to any location in West Michigan.

Pregnancy Sessions

We now offer pregnancy sessions for parents who know their child will only be with us for a very short time after the actual delivery. This includes parents who are 4 ½ + months along. We prefer to have the parents come to our studio (for lighting purposes), but if health reasons do not permit, we can certainly come to any location in West Michigan.

My Story

In 2004, my best friend went in for a normal induction to deliver her full term little girl. She suffered a placental abruption and within four minutes the mother was rushed to the O.R. and C-sectioned. Sweet baby Samantha had passed. Not knowing how to comfort the grieving parents, I offered to photograph Samantha. [to see photos click here]

It was a small, sensitive session done at the funeral home. The parents held their sweet angel and she just looked like a sleeping baby.[To see photos click here] The photos continue to be an incredible help in the healing process. And the photos are such a wonderful keepsake to show that Samantha was here. If only for a short time.

The mother has been blessed with two more children since then and is involved with Spectrum Hospital (downtown Grand Rapids) support group for the loss of children. She speaks regulary at Pine Rest Mental Health to educate the caregivers on how to comfort in a time of unimaginable pain. She uses the photos in her seminar, to show the professionals, what has helped her heal. She is also an integral part of an organization that comes together annually to remember those little lives that have been lost, but will never be forgotten - West Michigan Walk to Remember.

At the time, I would have never imagined the overwhelming impact it would come to have. Now, years later, I continually hear how it's still one of the best comforts the family has. They are proud to be able to share their daughter with friends and family in beautiful pieces of artwork.

In most cases, the condition of photographs that parents have to hold on to for the rest of their lives is almost unbearable. I never knew that those low-quality photos literally caused them embarrassment. I never knew that marriages were in trouble because of something a beautiful photograph could help heal, while bringing them back together in heart. I never knew the other children in these families would never know their sister or brother because their parents were too ashamed to talk about it.

Because of this gap in the grieving & healing process, we initiated Little Miracles Ministry to share God's love in service at a time of pure devastation.

If you or someone you know has an infant or child who is desperately ill or just recently passed on, please contact us immediately.