InFocus Magazine

At around the same time she was volunteering with YANA, McKinnon got a phone call from local pediatrician Dr. Slater, asking her to photograph a girl who had cancer and was not going to survive.  “I photographed her in her last few days of life,” says McKinnon.  “Afterwards I sat in my car and cried.  And I was so glad that those images were taken.  They are so important for the family now and in the future, and also to honor this amazing girl.

“It dawned on me that not everyone with critically ill children has these photos because of the busyness and stress of having a sick child.  People don’t have time, or don’t think about it, and can’t afford a professional photographer.  But it’s important that this time be marked.  Whether or not the child survives, this is something that defines the family’s future.  It should be documented.

“It was great that I’d done those photos, but I’m only one person.  I realized I can inspire other photographers to do this.  I can reach out to families to offer them this gift and connect them with professional photographers in their community who are willing to donate their time,” she says.

“The idea had formed, but first I discussed it with my family—it would take my time away from them so I needed to consult them.  They said, ‘Yes, go for it.’  So A Fighting Spirit was born.”

Once McKinnon had decided to do the project, no one who knew her would doubt she had the drive and skills to make it happen.  McKinnon is an enthusiastic and skilled entrepreneur, chosen this year as the 2008 Small Business of the Year by the Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce, and awarded the Minerva Award for Woman of the Year in 2006 by the Comox Valley Women’s Business Network.  As well as running McKinnon Photography for eight years, she has also taught photography and business skills at the Western Academy of Photography in Victoria, where she originally trained, and at North Island College’s Professional Photography Program.

Nonetheless, she needed to fit A Fighting Spirit into her life, which includes her business, a number of other volunteer commitments, and parenting five children, one with leukemia (Maggie had her last treatment in October and is now in remission, with a prognosis of full recovery).

“I knew I wanted to keep it simple, no bureaucracy, no or almost no costs, so no need to fundraise,” says McKinnon.  She also knew that the project would be immeasurably richer if she included others, so right away, she reached out for help.  The results were more than satisfying.

“One of the first people I called was Sue Pyper, a friend of mine who is a web designer.  She offered to create a website for us as a donation.  But she went further, and called her friends Judy Wing and Helen Austin and organized a brainstorming session to discuss ideas and, hopefully, come up with a name.  And when we’d all unanimously agreed on A Fighting Spirit, Helen said she wanted to write a song for this.  Twenty-four hours later, my partner John and I were sitting in front of the computer bawling, listening to the song she’d sent us.”

Since the website went up in the summer of 2008, response has been overwhelmingly positive, says McKinnon.

“All the photographers who have volunteered thank us and say it was an amazing experience.  This is a gift to the photographers as well as to the family.”

McKinnon speaks eloquently about the rewards of this kind of volunteering.  “When I take the photo, I feel a kind of relief, because I know this has been captured.  It makes me sad to think it wouldn’t be—that a child could travel through all that and not be documented.

“I can tell you that I cry after almost all these sessions.  Yes, it can be incredibly sad, but sometimes I cry for joy, because these kids are blessed.  They are blessed to live in the first world, to have access to our health care system.  And they are blessed to have parents who love them so much.  No matter what these kids are going through, they have love around them.  By giving to them we have extended that circle of love.  That’s what A Fighting Spirit does.  It’s what YANA does.  It’s what our whole community does.