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Celebrating Mother’s Day with @Sueshine

Years after her adoption from a South Korean orphanage, Instagrammer Sue (@sueshine) discovered she had the autoimmune disease known as Lupus. The affliction practically destroyed her kidneys at a young age and years later when she discovered she was pregnant, both she and her husband knew they had a challenging road ahead of them. Her daughter, Sammy Lu, was born weighing less than 3 pounds, but Sue recalls that their struggle to bring Sammy into the world “was beautiful because my husband, my baby and I all fought together like warriors on a battlefield that refused to give up on each other. She was itty bitty but she was a fighter.” Sue’s condition improved after a kidney donation from her husband, who was miraculously a perfect donor match.

Two years later, it was confirmed that Sammy was autistic, but this was a hurdle Sue could overcome. “Raising an autistic child has pushed me to be creative and create a creative environment for Sammy. The scenes I capture are a combination of Sammy’s imagination and mine. It’s a peek into our Never Never Land; the place where silly, exciting and impossible things can happen.”

Sue shares photos of Sammy’s world on Instagram. Her photos capture the moments of calm, joy and wonder Sammy experiences as she interacts with the whimsical scenes that Sue carefully crafts with love.“It’s given me a place to show my life and most importantly Sammy’s life. Now it’s evolved into wanting to show a side of autism that is real and beautiful. That my daughter is more than a cute face, she has depth, hopes and struggles. To think that Sammy has strangers cheering her on, enjoying the small glimpses into her life and wanting the very best for her future is a wonderful thing that has come from the Instagram community.”