'Their life still needs to be celebrated': Photographers sought to capture dying newborns with their families
Volunteers are needed for a London, Ont. group with a heartfelt mission.
It consists of photographers who tastefully capture the final moments of dying newborn infants with their families.
Melissa Martin knows the organization well.
She spoke about ‘Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep’ (NILMDTS) as she played with her five-month-old daughter, Isabelle.
Isabelle is Melissa’s third child. She follows Hannah, born on April 7, 2022.
“[Hannah] had long thick hair and beautiful brown eyes,” she said.
But Hannah would only survive five hours after birth. Doctors discovered mid-term she would be born without kidneys.
“We knew she was going to pass away,” Melissa shared with CTV News London. “We did what we could before the birth to prepare for that.”
Preparations included a celebration of Hannah’s life.
Isiah Martin holds the hand of his sister Hannah Martin on April 7, 2022. (Source: Submitted)
That’s when Tammy Belaire entered her life. She has been a London-based NILMDTS photographer for four years.
“Even though they are passing, or have passed, their life still needs to be celebrated and honoured,” she said.
To date, Tammy has photographed 62 children with their families free of charge, but current yearly requests are four times that amount.
To help, she is encouraging local photographers and their assistants to step up despite any initial reservations.
“My family, for a little while, were calling me the death photographer. But I’m like, ‘No that is not what I do, I celebrate love.’ And the pictures I take for these families are immeasurable,” she said.
“A photograph is all you have after losing a loved one,” Melissa added. “At the end of the day, all you’re left with is memories. So, having something like that, there are no words to put into how meaningful it is.”
If you're a photographer who'd like to help a family capture a loved one, you can register on the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6928617.1718492429!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
Ottawa Food Bank receives largest donation in its 40-year history
210,000 pounds of food was delivered to the Ottawa Food Bank on Saturday, the largest donation in its 40-year history.
Your father’s diet before you were born could have affected your health, a new study suggests
Your father's diet before you were born could have played a role in your health, a new study has found.
Singh 'more alarmed' after reading report, but won't break from Liberal-NDP agreement
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he is 'even more alarmed than before' after reading the un-redacted report alleging there are MPs and senators who are participating to some degree in foreign interference efforts.
Prince William shares childhood photo of him and King Charles III for Father's Day
Prince William on Sunday shared a photograph showing him as a child with his father, King Charles III, to mark Father’s Day in the United Kingdom this year.
Clooney and Roberts help Biden raise US$30 million-plus at a star-studded Hollywood gala
Some of Hollywood's brightest stars headlined a fundraiser for U.S. President Joe Biden that took in a record US$30 million-plus for a Democratic candidate, according to his campaign, in hopes of energizing would-be supporters for a White House contest they said may rank among the most consequential in U.S. history.
'We're in pretty good shape': Calgary goes low in water consumption after state of local emergency declared
On a day that a local state of emergency was declared in Calgary, city residents answered a request from the mayor and emergency officials to use less water.
Joe Alwyn says breakup with Taylor Swift was 'a hard thing to navigate'
Joe Alwyn is speaking publicly for the first time about the end of his years-long relationship with Taylor Swift.
A new tax filing system could give Canadians more than $1 billion in unclaimed benefits: PBO
Canadians would get more than $1 billion in unclaimed benefits each year through an automatic tax filing system, according to a report published by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO).
No injuries reported after camper engulfed in flames in parking garage: Regina fire
A fire in an underground parking facility in Regina led to no injuries, according to the city's fire department.