Chad’s Goodbye Birthday Party

Chad is the bald guy wearing a collared, light blue polo shirt. This was his last birthday party. He died shortly after at the age of 40. Everyone at the party knew he was dying. He had cancer and was in hospice. That’s why they threw the party; it was their excuse to hold him and say goodbye for the last time. One of his church friends hired us to photograph the party so everyone, especially his wife and 3 kids, would have keepsakes of him when he was gone. We took photos of Chad with his wife, Chad with each of his kids, Chad with his siblings, Chad with his mom and dad, Chad with his buddies and Chad with his whole extended family. They all hugged long and tight even though it was a stifling hot, humid day and, incredibly, Chad seemed to grow stronger from it. It was a beautiful thing to witness.