Best Features Photograph

Six year old Mikayla Francis was dying of an aggressive cancer that was not responding to treatment. Dying was not her biggest fear, but of being forgotten by her Daddy.

Her distraught father Andrew Francis appeared on AM radio 3AW to ask for any assistance for a big Birthday party for his daughter to prove she would not be forgotten.

I heard his sad story while on my way to work and immediately phoned the medical rounds reporter to make contact and set up an interview.

Later that day I arrived at the door of a house busy with relatives and friends there to support one sick little girl in her remaining days.

After establishing some calm in the chaos, I meet Mikayla and found she had little interest in being photographed (understandably) and I had to negotiate with her very softly and respectfully.

After winning her confidence, I quickly photographed her with family members particularly with her loving father in a tender moment as their faces touched showing her weakened state of despair.

To my knowledge I was the only newspaper photographer given access to photograph Mikayla during this time, due to the good rapport I had with the family.

Also returning that week for follow up photos leading up to Mikayla’s highly publicised Birthday party. The once bubbly little girl, who didn’t want to be forgotten, passed away shortly after her special day, never to be forgotten by Victoria and the nation.