A Little Boy with an Amazing Heart - Albuquerque Family Photography

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to shoot the American Heart Association's Heart and Soul Ball at Hotel Albuquerque. There I met 10 year old David Joseph. He stood up in front of hundreds of guests at the black tie affair and shared his story to help raise money for the American Heart Association. When he was 19 months old, he was diagnosed with a Coarctation of the Aorta. This is a very serious condition that, if undetected, can claim the life of a child through a stroke or aneurysm before that child reaches 7 years of age. When he was 4 1/2, he underwent anastomosis heart surgery to rebuild his heart. His story was incredibly compelling and everyone was impressed how his public speaking at age 10 was better than most adults.

Here are some photos of young David Joseph and his parents. He is also a very sweet young boy. Most of the time we got him to smile was talking about his brand new baby sister.