04/17/2026
Watching somebody suffer from something they never asked for, and then losing them at just 15 years old… I honestly do not know how that would shape a person.
I have never had to walk through that with someone close to me, so I can only imagine the kind of mark it leaves behind.
For Avery, Matthew was like a big brother. Not biologically, but in every way that mattered. She cannot remember a time when he was not part of her life.
Matthew had cystic fibrosis.
I have never lived with anyone who had it, but I remember one little girl once explaining it to me this way:
…imagine breathing through a straw every day… and sometimes the tiniest straw imaginable.
That stayed with me.
There were so many hospital trips. So much waiting. So much suffering. And Avery was there for all of it.
If you know Avery, then you know what a gift she is to be around.
She has this spontaneous energy, this endless charisma, this always-in-motion way about her.
She grew up in dance, and even now she is always half a step away from a move. It suits her perfectly.
She is the kind of person who makes life feel lighter.
She smiles, she lights things up, and just being around her makes you feel good.
She is genuine.
She cares about people.
She has a way of making others feel special, like they matter deeply.
Her mother talked about that during the reveal.
She said Avery has this way of making everyone around her feel like they are the most important person in the room.
And that reveal was emotional.
Tanya had spent the entire night at the hospital with her father after he had a stroke.
No sleep.
Just worry.
Their family has been taking turns staying with him around the clock, and that alone tells you how loved he is.
It was a hard day.
But I think Tanya would have been emotional anyway.
Avery talked about her mother with such admiration.
She said Tanya is the strongest person she knows, the glue that holds the family together.
When Matthew passed away at 15, Avery said everyone was falling apart in their own way, but her mother was the one who somehow stayed standing and kept everyone else going.
Isn’t that often the way?
The mother is the heartbeat of the family.
So often, mothers know what has to be done, and because of that, they do not always allow themselves to fully feel what everyone else is feeling.
They carry people.
They hold things together.
And Avery sees that in her mom.
Earlier in the day, I asked Avery what she wants to do next year.
She said she wants to be a nurse.
The more we talked, the more it made perfect sense.
Yes, she is naturally a happy person. Yes, she loves helping people.
But it also became clear that after spending so much of her life around hospitals and seeing firsthand the role nurses play, something in her was shaped by that.
I think she saw what comfort looks like.
I think she saw what care looks like.
And maybe, without even realizing it at first, she began to understand her calling.
I would not be surprised at all if one day you see Avery become a nurse practitioner.
Life is funny that way. It gives no guarantees.
None of us are here forever, and Matthew was taken far earlier than anyone should ever have to endure.
But in the middle of that suffering, something beautiful was formed in Avery.
A goodness.
A tenderness.
A purpose.
I was joking with her and told her I wanted to book her for when I reach my own end days.
Truthfully, she just has that kind of presence. A beautiful person to be around.
If you have ever been around Arm of Gold Campground, Winnie’s Wagon, or the office, chances are you have seen Avery.
She is out there the same way she is everywhere else, full of life.
And that pink dress?
Absolutely precious on her.
The colour of the dress had this fairytale quality to it, so I tried to photograph it that way.
At the same time, Avery is also a fierce and strong dancer, and I think we managed to capture some of that movement and power in her portraits too.
It is also the third time I have photographed Avery.
The first was years ago with her sister Sarah during our Easter bunny sessions.
Those photos are such a precious little record of who they were at that age.
The second time was for Next Top Tween. Avery came in wearing 3D glasses she had apparently worn for about six months straight. She had this cool, funky, fun vibe that I instantly loved.
And now here she is, all grown up.
She may be an adult now, but do not mistake that for losing what made her special.
That cool, quirky, vibrant energy is still very much there. I think it always will be.
Her mother sent me some old photos after the shoot, and I loved that. She said Avery used to refer to me as “my friend John.”
I hope that never ends.
That is really what this work is about for me.
Who is your child right now?
What makes them them?
How do we preserve that so that ten years from now, when you are sitting with your morning coffee and you glance up at the wall, you smile because you remember exactly who they were in this season of life?
That is what we are committed to doing here.
And as for retiring?
Not if I can help it.
If I stay healthy, my goal is still to do a photo shoot one week before my wake.
Peace everyone!
