I am a believer in fairytales coming true, and that every love story will have a happy ending. These beliefs make up the foundation of why I became a wedding photographer- because I have been blessed with a gift to tell these love stories though photos.
Brittany and Elliot have a love story to beat the ages. When Brittany was two months old she was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia, a condition known to affect the liver. This causes a blockage in the bile duct between the liver and the small intestine. The prognosis for young children with this disorder is generally not favorable without a procedure called a Kasai procedure which rebuilds a bile duct. Brittany had this procedure done which allowed her to live a fairly normal life until the age of 11.
At age 11 she began to show signs of liver failure and was no longer healthy enough to attend school. Brittany was placed on a transplant list. After many months of being ill and an extensive stay in the Intensive Care Unit, Brittany was told that a donor liver was available. In September of 2000 she received a liver transplant. She was then on a long road to recovery. Due to her immuno-suppresent medications and her weakened immune system Brittany missed most of her high school years either at home or in the hospital.
At the age of 17 Brittany met Elliot and it wasn’t before long that she knew that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Almost immediately after their meeting he became supportive and involved in her life and her illness. The two shared dreams of a big wedding and starting a family.
When she was 22 years old Brittany was put on a medication that affected her birth control. She and Elliot learned that they were expecting a child and the two were overjoyed to become parents. Brittany delivered a healthy baby boy at thirty two weeks of pregnancy and he was truly a miracle. The pregnancy, however, took a toll on Brittany’s body and her body began rejecting her transplanted liver. After a year of trying anti rejection medication, Brittany’s doctors made the decision to put her back on the transplant list.
While Brittany is hopeful that a new medication may slow the rejection or even reverse it, a second liver transplant does seem to be a very real possibility at this time. Brittany and Elliot’s dreams of a big wedding have been derailed as they have been faced with mounting medical costs.
When I heard of Brittany’s story I knew that I had to help. Here is a girl who is a loving mother and fiance and is trying as hard as she possibly can to live a normal life. I felt that regardless of their wedding plans I at least wanted to be the one to photograph their nuptials. But after some thinking, I realized that if I felt so compelled to give this couple wedding photographs that many other local vendors might feel the same way. I contacted Brittany and introduced myself to her and told her that I had heard her story and that I wanted to help.
Thanks to the outpouring of support from local vendors Brittany and Elliot’s wedding day dreams are becoming a reality. They will be married on June 30, 2012 at the Heritage in Newberry, FL. So many local vendors have offered to help!
Tonya from the Heritage has graciously donated not only her venue but also tables, chairs, linens and some decor.
My team from Sweet Serendipity Photography will be there to photograph their wedding and Kim and Kyle from Gator Bride Videography will be there to capture their day on video.
The amazingly talented Faythe Mesic from the A Glamour Bride has offered to have her team do hair and makeup. Friends of Brittany have offered to do florals and invitations.
There are still many items needed to make this wedding everything that Brittany has dreamed of, and this is where YOU- my wonderful blog readers- come in! Wells Fargo bank has assisted me in setting up a charity account for Brittany and Elliot to help make this wedding a possibility. No donation is too small and ever little bit will help make a perfect day for a deserving couple. If you can help in ANY way possible it would be so greatly appreciated!
You can donate directly into the Brittany Curtis Wedding Fund Paypal Account through the link below.
\
Or you are welcome to email me directly at info@blog.sweetserendipityphotography.com for information on how to donate directly into the Brittany Curtis Wedding Fund.
If you are a wedding vendor and would like to help in any way there are still some services we are in need of! We are also looking for vendors willing to donate items for auction or to hold a fundraiser with the proceeds benefitting Brittany and Elliot. Please contact me at info@blog.sweetserendipityphotography.com if you are able to help in any way. I will be blogging about every vendor that offers to donate and am so excited to be able to update with our wedding planning process!
It is so exciting to see this crazy idea of mine become a reality, and even more exciting to be able to share in this with Brittany who is overjoyed at the love and support that the North Central Florida wedding vendor community is showing her and Elliot. And all these positive plans and thinking must be doing some good because Brittany has been receiving good news from her doctors that her anti rejection medications seem to be helping some and may delay her need for a transplant so that she can enjoy as much time as possible while healthy.
