Connecting with Her Beauty Through Boudoir
This boudoir photo session was very special for me…and for my client! Kristina was selected as one of the winners of my first ever Giveaway back in July, and I knew it as soon as I hung up the phone after her finalist interview.
She shared her story so freely, and had such a kind spirit and sweet positivity about her that she immediately made her way into my heart.
Throughout the process of selecting her wardrobe, her photo shoot and her image reveal, she has been eager to share her experience and to encourage other women to embrace their beauty and have their own boudoir photo experience…but you have not heard her story until now.
Please take some time to look at her gorgeous photos and to read HER words (at times annotated by me, to explain medical terms 🙂 ) She put her whole heart into all of this and I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her.
KRISTINA’S STORY —
Were you forced to be “born to stand out?”
Before you answer, really think about the question I’m asking. I can 100% tell you that I was, in fact, FORCED to be born to stand out.
When I was delivered as a newborn…my apgars were 0/0/0. (The APGAR score is a test given to newborns soon after birth – at 1 minute/5 minutes and, in rare cases – 10 minutes. It is given to check the baby’s health. You can learn more HERE.)
What turned that around for me? A resident doctor, who had obviously read his text books, paid attention in class, and had a heart; who was able to identify that I had TCS. (Treacher Collins syndrome – learn more HERE ). He also was educated enough about how to secure an airway for me, which lead to a return of spontaneous circulation – saving my life. I never once asked him personally to do this for me. (I mean, I was a newborn ;P) Actually…no one asked him to save this black child with profound medical issues. He did it because he went into the medical field, more specifically, neonatology, to help, assist, and save the new creatures of this world. He was the first one to demand that I be born to stand out.
Then you have my biological family, who did not demand anything of me. There is absolutely no wrongdoing for their decision. The state then decided to entrust my life to a white woman in a country town who cared for children no one else wanted. She was the second person in my life that demanded I be born to stand out.
Even when my body fought against her efforts…she persevered…and maintained the life of a little black girl that many others at this point had deemed unworthy and/or unable to be born to stand out. She has spent all of her days since then ensuring that I beat all odds and be forced to be the little black girl that was born to stand out.
So as the years went by…people saw me as different. People saw me as incapable. No way a black little girl with ALL those medical problems could possibly stand out in a world like this! Well… I’m here…37…almost 38 years later. Has it been an easy road Hell no! Have I hit major road blocks along the way? Hell yes!!! Have I always wanted to fight this daily fight that no one even realizes I have to fight? Hell no!
So…when I’m faced with conflict, or with situations that make me question…why God?  Why did I have to be born to stand out?  I will never know the answer while I’m here on this earth. Maybe…I can provide comfort to those facing similar struggles?  Or similar questions?  Or maybe…it has nothing to do with me…but everything to do with YOU! Never underestimate what God can do!  Don’t EVER underestimate a child of God! Even though the trails I face make me weary…I must continue the work that the Good Lord is doing through me. I just pray that when people see me, and I mean REALLY see me…they don’t automatically have negative thoughts or questions. Because the God I serve…is capable of ANYTHING!  So, while I’m enduring a trial of feeling I am not being a good enough nurse, or a good enough person…I have to remind myself…God’s got me! Because before I was formed in the womb…HE knew…I was born to stand out!  No one or no thing was going to stop God from making that happen!
EDITED July 6, 2023 – Kristina passed away on June 30, 2023. She was an amazing person whose impact on those who knew her will be felt for eternity. Rest in Perfection, sweet friend.
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