Telling the story of this Bettendorf family, which I photographed recently at VanderVeer’s conservatory, is hard to do without tearing up. But Linda was gracious to share it on Facebook with her friends. Like many couples, she and her husband Jeff wanted to start a family. However, the outcome could have been very different when Linda became pregnant 4 years ago. Only 30 weeks into it, she had complications which forced an early delivery of their son. Grant was 4lbs, 2oz. His lungs were not mature and he was hooked up to many machines. Linda says he was so fragile that “his fingers barely made it around Jeff’s thumb.” After 42 days in the Iowa City NICU, he finally got to go home.
Since then, he’s continued to grow and thrive. Says Linda, “…we are also very lucky. By the time he was 2, he was completely caught up in all his milestones. He’s 4 and a half now and talks our ears off. He amazes us every day with his ability to make us smile.” And this year, the family is the March of Dimes Ambassador Family – a tribute to the hard work and love put into making Grant the healthy little boy he is today.
2009 March of Dimes Ambassador Family
Shuva, these are absolutely amazing pictures! I cannot wait to see the rest. Thank you! In these pictures, I see Grant’s personality, strength and love of life!
Linda