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Loyet, who works for the Mercy Heartprints Program providing comprehensive perinatal bereavement support programs, reiterates that DeNeal brings a special quality to her work because a lot of the situations are very emotional. She especially appreciates that DeNeal creates her images in black and white, which hides any discoloration the baby may have.

“Black-and-white is very forgiving,” says Loyet, who adds there is a soft, sensitive quality to DeNeal’s pictures. Loyet also says that because DeNeal is a nurse, she understands how to be with families, is not intrusive, and is gentle and loving with the parents.

Although Loyet says some families find the idea foreign at first, she’s never had a parent turn her down. She remembers one family that had DeNeal take photographs that were then displayed at the baby’s funeral. The two photos showing each parent holding the baby made quite an impact. The enlargements were provided to the family without charge. Families may also receive the photos on compact disc so they can reproduce the images as they desire.

Donations are key

Providing her services without any fees has been DeNeal’s mission since her first referral. She paid for everything herself the first year, but has since received nonprofit status for The Jeremy Project, which relies entirely on tax-deductible donations to cover expenses. In addition, some of the programs that provide referrals pay the organization a small fee to offset costs.

DeNeal’s work goes beyond perinatal needs. She also works with an organization that supports children with cancer and she also photographs children with special needs who may not be able to find a photography studio that can highlight their unique beauty.

Last year, DeNeal did 70 photo sessions, which usually take 30 to 60 minutes, in addition to working full-time as a nurse. She has appointments every Saturday and at least one night during the week. DeNeal recently traveled 100 miles from her home to photograph triplets where one was in kidney failure. She says she gets a fair amount of urgent calls of babies doing poorly.

Her photo sessions can be stressful because these families are in crisis and often watching her every move. She must also be cognizant of the child’s medical status and needs. What keeps her going through the stress and extra work? DeNeal says it’s the power of being in the presence of the families at this difficult time. “You get to a really sacred place with these families.”

DeNeal takes referrals from anyone and encourages nurses to refer patients to The Jeremy Project. As the staff members closest to the patient situation, DeNeal recommends that nurses can appreciate how important photographs can be for these grieving families. DeNeal reminds the parents that they are in total control and she will stop taking photographs the minute they request it.

“This is my passion,” DeNeal says. “It does wonders for me. It honors my own son.” She says one of the most important things to a parent is that the child is not forgotten. Through The Jeremy Project, DeNeal combines her art of nursing and photography, giving parents images of a life lived — even if only for a short time.

Darcie DeNeal can be contacted at (314) 640-3598 or through The Jeremy Project website.