Photographer Karley Miller knows better than most what a lengthy hospital stay can be like – it’s just over two years since she had half her brain removed in life-saving surgery.
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Now she hopes her latest project can help sick children who face similar situations.
Karley is one of 12 photographers who have collaborated with photographer Karen Alsop on a picture children's book designed for young patients in hospitals.
She said it all started at a photo shoot in Melbourne with Karen and two very special little girls – Evie and Indy.
“She (Karen Alsop) had this amazing idea that we create a book for these two little girls who were fighting leukemia and they are now in remission,” she said.
“She got twelve photographers together to collaborate on this wonderful book to help sick kids in hospital find their way through, to say that hospital isn’t all bad.”
Karley and her mum Nikki collaborated on the photo together, inserting the image of the two girls into a magical forest.
Since then, news of the book has gone viral.
“Not even a day and it got such a good response, it was fantastic with the amount of responses and the views,” Karley said.
Nikki said the book was unique in that any child in hospital could relate to the story of Evie and Indy.
“I don’t think there’s a lot of books out there like this, I don’t think it’s actually it’s targeted for one certain illness, it’s just to help kids feel not so scared when they have to stay in hospital,” she said.
“When Karley was having surgery… there were a lot of books on cancer, lot of books on autism and stuff but nothing that sort of fell into Karley’s category
“So something like this would have softened it a little bit.”
She said the book was also a chance to give back to the hospitals which helped Karley during her surgeries.
“It’s just such a heartfelt campaign, to give back through something so meaningful like this, it’s touching,” Nikki said.
There is a kickstarter campaign to try get the book distributed across the world and the Heart Project is also open to a publisher who may want to take the book on. To donate, visit www.kickstarter.com/projects/1247566127/the-get-well-tree-a-storybook-for-sick-children