This was the most difficult project that I have been involved with over the past 40 years in this beautiful profession of photography. Be that as it may, what I am about to write here will go with me to my grave as my testimonial to the greatest act of  unconditional love and sacrifice I have ever witnessed.    

     I am in hopes that you have the time to read this. If not, please come back when you do...and read this story of the incredible courage of two people—Tracy and Dennis Fisher. I had never met them or knew them...just messages via e-mail and a few phone calls. You see, this couple was going to have a baby. A happy occasion for most people. But their baby would not live long after birth, if at all.

     As some of you may know, I am a member of an organization known as “Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep.” This group was co-founded by another photographer known as Sandy Puc located in Littleton, Colorado, along with a   client of hers, Cheryl Haggard. Cheryl and her husband Mike lost their son Maddux on February 10, 2005 who had a condition called myotubular myopathy. From this sad event came the birth of “Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep”, a non-profit organization that has grown from a handful of volunteer photographers in 2005 to over 5,500 volunteers today, November, 2008! And, we are now in 25 countries. If you go to the bottom of this page, you will see the link to this organization of dedicated and caring photographers. I am trying to cover the southeast Wisconsin area until we can find more photographers to join our group.

     For months, Tracy and Dennis knew that “Linkin” would be taken from them. Nobody could stop it, no doctor could fix it. Linkin had a condition known as Potter’s Syndrome, a defect where the infant is born without kidneys. One of the many things that the kidneys do is provide the fluid to help develop the lungs. Life expectancy for a child with Potter’s Syndrome can be as little as an hour to as much as a few days at most. As this malformation is usually detected during a pre-natal scan, parents are often confronted with a choice of life or death. A choice made with very little information of what is in store for them. It is with this in mind, that I have made the choice to share their story. In brief, but wonderful, memories of the 48 hours that took place from October 4 - 6, 2008.

     The “world” may have said to them—have an abortion. But they would not hear of it because of their strong faith. They had made the decision to have their baby and let God’s will be done. How easy it is for any of us to look at this couple and say “you’re crazy” for deciding to have this baby. Sure, easy for us, but not for them. I say this with the strongest conviction—I have never seen such courage! I was becoming close to Tracy and Dennis during and through our basic communications over the previous weeks. I supported their decision and I wanted to do anything that I could to help them.

    After they contacted NILMDTS, I told them that I would be available to photograph Linkin and anything else they wanted me to do for them. I could only give them my talent, to remember in photographs, the brief life their little Linkin would have on this earth. What a small thing to offer—my talent? I never felt so small, insignificant and helpless in my life.

     We all knew well in advance that on October 9, 2008 I would meet with Tracy, Dennis and Father Rick at 10AM at Froedtert/Children’s Hospital Fetal Concerns Area where Tracy would undergo a Cesarean Section. But God had other plans. I had just got home at 4:30AM from my weekend Security job at Community Memorial Hospital (I work a 12 hour shift on Friday and Saturday nights). But on this particular Friday (10-3-08) between the studio work and the Security job—I went to bed at 4:30AM (10-4-08) after a 26 hour long day! I received a phone call from Froedtert one and a half hours after my head hit the pillow and I was asked to be at the hospital within a half hour!! Tracy had gone into labor 5 days early!!

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