Hawkins Family

~ The best thing to hold onto in life is each other ~

I am so honored to have been able to take the first professional family portrait's of Wendy, Tyron and their precious 

13 month old Andrew in this adorable session at Mackay <3 

Maya Peggy - 13 days

 "Butterfly kisses and lady bug hugs... Oh My!" 

 This sweet doll was such a darling for her session, and she certainly makes an adorable ladybug. 

Sweet button nose, long lashes, sweetheart crinkles and kissy lips... the makings of true little princess! 

See Maya's beautiful Mamma's maternity session -> Here!

Tammy's Maternity Session - 38 Weeks

<3 Tammy's Maternity Session - 38 Weeks <3

" Two blossoms on the same branch

Two pea's in the same pod

Two petals on the same rose" 

Beautiful Tammy, thank you for the absolute pleasure of photographing you at this amazing and special time of your life... 

Congratulations to you both on your sweet Maya! 

See Maya's adorable session ->  here!

Shaylea's Story

She is brave 

She is beautiful

She is true

 This is her story

My name is Shaylea Hamblin.

This is my story of a disorder that has made me stronger 

and a much more positive person.

At the age of 12, the day before my birthday on the 6th of February 2012 I was diagnosed with the deadly disorder 

Anorexia Nervosa

I was admitted to Nambour General Hospital at 30.7 kilograms.

My heart rate was sitting on 27 and slowly decreasing. 

My heart, kidneys and liver were failing drastically. 

I had lost more than 15 kilos and 85% of my body weight. 

All that remained of me was a skeletal frame. 

From being a healthy, happy strong child to having no strength and no life left in my little body. 

This disease had taken over and I had not known the extent of its power until my admission.

Being in this hospital ward was the start of a very long year. 

I never realised how much power the human mind could have.

Certain thoughts would enter in and just balloon into overreactions. 

Nambour General was a very good hospital, the Nurses were nice and there was a very good schooling programme, 

with activities that could entertain all ages with all sorts of problems. 

They put a nasogastric tube into my nose and fed me on Nutrison fibre which was pumped through to 

my stomach all the time as my source of food, strength and weight gain as I still was refusing to eat. 

Food scared me.

 The thought of placing food in my mouth was just not an idea anymore.

 It was a nightmare, an intense fear and as far as anorexia was concerned it just wasn’t an option anymore.

 I found myself gaining weight within three days of being an inpatient and angry emotions flooded over me. 

They were stretching my stomach and filling my skin - to anorexia this was bad, and the voices were hurting.

 

I was only in Nambour for one week before they sent me down to 

a mental health unit in Brisbane called CFTU (Child and Family Therapy Unit). 

Here it felt like a jail.

It was all brick.

There were bars on the windows. 

You couldn’t get in or out unless you were a Nurse and I just wanted to escape. 

This place was strict and there were rules that I had never thought existed before.

I was placed on bed rest where I was almost stapled to my bed all the time except to walk 1 metre 

to the toilet and to have a supervised shower. 

All the food, water and school priorities were brought 

to me and I wasn't allowed to see any of the other children in the facility. 

This process lagged for a little over a week before I finally was allowed to go into the family room 

to talk and interact with the other inpatients. 

There were four others in the facility at the same time as me 

and we all formed a very strong bond which we still have today. 

Something I hadn't realised while I was there, but see now in reflection, is that I wasn’t helping myself.

I was trying to help everyone else and in this process I looked strong but I was failing 

and this disorder was still powerfully looming.

 

Week 3 in CFTU I was allowed to go to school over the road at the Royal Brisbane Hospital. 

Weighing 36.6 kilos and looking as if I was doing exceptionally well, I was able to do the 1 kilometre walk with all the other kids. 

In a way I was lucky in this first time of hospitalisation
My cousin had unfortunately suffered from a brain aneurism and was also in hospital. 

We were very close and become even closer through spending 

so much time with each other and being such a help in both of our unfortunate situations. 

Learning was hard and concentration was severely lacking 

but I was glad of my cousin and my friend from school who was there in relation to her brother with Leukaemia.

These two people were my strength and my help from day to day.  

As I was so young in my experience of Anorexia there was a lot of things that I felt very scared about.

I became infuriated that they expected so much in my recovery.

Especially when I was not in the right frame of mind to accommodate their help.

Towards the end of my stay at CFTU I became more confident with eating. 

I felt as though I had fooled all the nurses into believing I was fine 

and that I was a strong person who could overcome this illness. 

Having spent a total of 3 months in hospital and therapy, my grade 8 year was going very slowly, sadly and painfully.

I was discharged at the very end of Term 1 and completed all of Term 2 at School.

 

Then in Term 3

I relapsed again

This time with more anger and frustration – angry with myself that it had happened again.

The second time I was not as physically severe but mentally I was all gone.

I was full of anger and distress and felt like everything was against me.

I went through a stage I don’t remember but my Mum can still see it vividly now and it scared her. 

But to me, I was fine. 

I became low, lower than ever before and the people who cared about me didn’t know what to do. 

I rejected the help from the Nurses, Psychologists, Counsellors, Doctors, Dieticians and every other health whacko out there. 

It took me until this second admission to realise that I needed to WANT to get over this! 

It was all up to me, because you can't get better unless you WANT to help yourself. 

I became positive but not in a confident way like the first time but an overcoming way

showing I really did want to return to being happy, healthy, strong and enjoying life with my friends, 

and not always having food as the main focus of my life. 

I wasn’t as concerned about other people in CFTU this time as I learned that 

I needed to help myself first before I could go around trying to help them. 

The Nurses were so much stricter about my recovery because they knew it was serious and I needed 

to return to some sort of normality sooner rather than later. 

I was determined to get better! 

I knew life could be amazing! 

There are so many wonderful things in this world to do and see 

and so many beautiful, inspiring people to meet and share with.

Now I am 15 years old and happier than ever,

 thriving on life's natural beauties and making the most of every minute. 

My priorities have changed completely from being all about food, my body and my looks 

to now being all about positivity, a healthy lifestyle and keeping my faith strong. 

I love learning new things about this world and the people in it.

It truly fascinates me as there are always new things to grow from. 

My family mean so much to me and have been the biggest help. 

I can't explain how much they have done and the support they have given me is incredible. 

I love them so much!

 

I have just participated in the Shave for a Cure and donated 30cm of my hair 

to Pantene Beautiful Lengths Foundation – a charity which makes wigs for Cancer sufferers. 

I have wanted to do this for so many years as my friend lost her brother to the devastating disease of Leukaemia 

and now I have finally done it.

I love all of you girls out there 

and I think you are all so beautiful!

You are all so incredible and you have so much going for you!