one brave little girl

This is Liam's friend, Léa. Of all his little friends in kindergarten last year, she and her family are the only ones we seemed to keep once school let out for summer and we decided to homeschool. We just can't get ride of them! *wink* 

A few weeks ago, Léa decided to participate in the Head Shave Challenge in support of Leucan and the work they do for families affected by, living with, and fighting cancer. June 13th, she'll be shaving her head not only to raise money, but also to be able to donate all of her beautiful long hair, and as sign of solidarity to children who lose their hair while undergoing cancer treatment (sorry, I know that sentence is awkward, but am too lazy to fix it).

And her hair is looooong...

And beauuuuutiful.

I think she's an amazing little girl and incredibly brave to shave her head for a cause such as this. At only seven years old! She has such a big heart and it's evident to anyone who meets her that she's going to make a big difference in this world. She's special.

I've been helping Léa's mom, Valérie, set up her blog (www.lealeucan.com) over the last few weeks. The support has been amazing! Léa is already 93% of the way to reaching her goal of raising $1000. She loves reading all of the comments there and on her Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/lealeucan). She has over 300 fans already!

So, in addition to giving towards her goal, I also decided to do something special for her to remember her  hair as it is now... a mini photo session at the park!

Val and I loaded up all six of our kids and made the drive to Brewer Park in Ottawa yesterday. And -the height of cruel- I had Léa come with me for pictures BEFORE playing. Imagine... a little girl, at a new park, being forced to pose for pictures instead of playing with her friends. Those of you who are local and have been to Brewer Park know how fun it is, especially the first time you've been there. But Léa was a great sport.

she's been playing the violin for two years

       

       

Did I mention how, before heading to the park, I took the boys over to Léa's house to play while Val and I decided on wardrobe? And how the amount of pink was dizzying? Intoxicating, even? How it was like a sparkly pink unicorn HAD EXPLODED in their room? A sparkly pink unicorn who'd been feating flowers? And rainbows??  

AND HOW I NEED A GIRL??

            

Near the end, patience was wearing thin and tummies were growling. Even though she's not smiling, I still love these pictures of Léa.

I'd love it if you'd head over to Léa's blog or fan page to look around and leave a comment to encourage her. If you'd like to make a donation, you can do so through Paypal or directly through her participant page on Leucan's site. Donations are tax deductible if made through Leucan. Really, every little bit will help this amazing organization. 

Léa is an incredible little girl who is out to prove that even children can make a difference.

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For those who are local (Ottawa/Gatineau area), I'm offering a free photography session as a way to raise money to help Léa in her fund raising. For every $10 donation, your name will be entered in a draw for a custom photography session with Muddy Boots Photography. A raffle of sorts. I still have a few wrinkles to work out, so watch here for full details and information.