An afternoon with Ella

Ella watches a video with her classmates.

Ella and her fellow first graders give it their all in a tug-of-war against the second graders.

Ella waits her turn to bear crawl during the relay races.

Ella shows her mom a cancer awareness ribbon pin she made during the rally.

Ella gets a hug and kiss from her mom Katie during the rally.

Ella, right, holds hands with Hayley D'Alexander as they walk back to school.

Part 4: Childhood Cancer Awareness Rally

On September 27 I wandered out to Cambridge Lakes Learning Center in Pingree Grove to shoot a Childhood Cancer Awareness Rally. The school was holding a rally with the first and second graders and it is there I got to meet Ella Van Gheem, a first grader who has been fighting Leukemia since August 2010.

By far the most rewarding part of my life as a photojournalist is being able to tell people stories. Ella's mom is a photographer and has been blogging about the families journey through leukemia since the beginning. You can follow them HERE. 

Here are a few moments I made in the few hours of following Ella with her friends that afternoon.

-john

All photos © 2012 John Konstantaras / Courier-News • Sun-Times Media