This is What Love Looks Like: The Cowan Family

Telling stories is at the heart of photojournalism, and I am always looking for stories that show heart. When I heard about this family through my son's baseball team, I reached out to them hoping they might be willing to let me photograph their unique journey. Clayton has a rare disease called chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), which occurs only in one out of a million people. He was diagnosed when he was 2 years old. This Spring, Clayton's brother, Graham, donated his bone marrow to Clayton at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. Clayton's family opened up to me, and allowed me follow the family for a very brief time during the surgery. This was only a brief window, but I believe it shows some of the love this family feels for each other--the courage and the kindness they share. Of course, there's so much to witness that I couldn't capture in photos: Clayton's recovery from the transplant, his fight with pneumonia and chemotherapy, and the family's celebration of the 100 days-milestone after the transplant. Nonetheless, I'm privileged and humbled to be invited into this small moment of the Cowan's live, and I want to share it here. I first met Clayton and his family for a rare visit to Orioles Park at Camden Yards where the boys were able to see batting practice. A treat for them right before they went into surgery:

Clayton at the hospital to prep for upcoming surgery. He spends a lot of time in this small room:

Graham right before surgery gets encouraging words from his dad:

Marty was able to hold Graham's hand to the very last minute:

Graham is out of surgery:

Clayton is prepped for the transplant, a relatively non-invasive procedure- it's just injected, no surgery required:

The boys watch as the transplant is happening: