today's Photo Tip Of The Day

Engineer 1, FPD

Engineer 1, FPD, originally uploaded by pr9000.

There's a pretty cool little boy who lives a few doors down from me ... His name is Cooper, and he's battling cancer right now at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. I had the honor of photographing his family in mid-November, and Cooper was a running, jumping bundle of energy ... He and his brother, Blake, wore me out, frankly – it's amazing to me the amount of energy little boys bring to whatever they do.

A few weeks later, Cooper fell ill and after many tests and procedures, he was diagnosed with cancer. He went through surgery a few weeks ago, and while it was successful, he still has a long road ahead. His family decided that St. Jude's was the perfect place for him to continue his treatments, and our neighborhood hosted a little party for him on Monday.

the crowd at Cooper's celebration, originally uploaded by pr9000.

I say "little" but that's an understatement – Cooper's dad, Scott, said that he stopped counting at 150 people. Cooper's a lucky boy, because the outpouring of love for him was overwhelming. Not to mention the fact that he got a police escort into the neighborhood, and a good chunk of the Franklin Fire Department was there to greet him! He got to ride in the back of a huge fire truck as the rest of the crowd followed in a parade. And I got to go up in the bucket of the truck to take a picture, which I must admit was a lifelong dream come true ...

the bucket!, originally uploaded by pr9000.

Cooper has a pretty awesome support structure, which includes his brother, Blake, and his stepbrother and stepsister, Michael and Danielle (he's hugging her in the photo below). Plus his friends, their friends, and a huge group of people who are following his story on his CaringBridge site.

hugging Danielle, originally uploaded by pr9000.

To see the full gallery, go to my website, click on "Clients" in the lower right corner, and enter "cooper" (no quotes) as the password. Make sure your speakers are on, and enjoy the highlights of what turned out to be an amazing, life-affirming afternoon celebration for Cooper and his family. And if you're so inclined, why not consider donating to the cause? St. Jude's does wonderful work for its patients – most especially, for Cooper.

Our prayers are with you ...