Real Story

I met up with Holley + Bradley for their couple session in October this year! I had such a instant connection with them straight away, both of us are young parents and we had so much in common.

Holley only booking me 24 hours earlier… which is very rare for someone to do but I knew this session was going to be incredible, she had such a positive vibe!

At out shoot, Holley + Bradley spoke about their journey to me, I felt all the emotions and I asked them if I could share it. So here it is and hope you enjoy it.

Mac x

“Help each other get through the tough times so you can enjoy the happy times.”

Holley Jones

Our story
Our story begins in a local pub on my last day of year twelve 2012, dancing the night away. That is where I first laid eyes on Bradley the boy who loved a dance and a VB. We instantly connected and spent every day together. 
Fast forward to 2016 we welcomed our first beautiful son Hunter into this world. Parenthood began for us and although we were faced with the challenges of learning about having a child with special needs we fell more and more in love with our cheeky clever boy. Not long after Bradley proposed to me at Hillsville Sanctuary where he was nibbled on the ankle while down on his knee by a wombat. I laughed so much that day. We would be engaged for a few years. It was then 2018 and our world was about to change. We miscarried with our second pregnancy, we dealt with this pain as a team and agreed when we were ready, we would try again. Not long after we were blessed with the news that we were expecting another gorgeous little boy, Isaac. 
But 2018 was full of more challenges suddenly Bradley fell sick. He suffered from multiple aortic and arterial dissections in his body month after month. I called ten ambulances that year. I pulled my fiancé at 37 weeks pregnant out of the shower. The hospitals were shocked number one that he was alive but also that someone so young and fit at the age of 27 could be having these medical episodes it was not normal and so because of Bradleys family’s history of sudden death at young ages including his mother, he was sent for genetic testing. Bradley continued to have these episodes and go in and out of hospital. Isaac was born in the October and a month later we would find ourselves in Melbourne for weeks, spending Isaacs first Christmas by Bradleys hospital bed side. January 2019 changed our lives forever Bradley was diagnosed with a rare genetic life-threatening connective tissue syndrome called Vascular Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. 
There is no cure for vEDS and has a low life expectancy of 48 years. We were sad, Bradley felt guilty because we knew next there would now be a 50% chance our two beautiful boys may have inherited this. A month later it was confirmed yes both Hunter and Isaac have vEDS too. Bradley and I faced this news head on. We were sad but we were grateful we now had answers, we would now prepare for what the future would be like for us. Bradley and I have a very fun, loving, positive relationship and we are so strong. We work perfectly together as a team and without each other I feel like we wouldn’t have coped as well as we have with these situations. We realised life is so unexpected for Bradley and that we just need to live life to the fullest. In November 2019 we were married down by the ocean in Barwon heads. It was the most perfect magical day.
And now here we are 2020 the year of the pandemic this year had already begun as a roller coaster and in August we would be shocked to then receive the news Bradley would be diagnosed with CML – Chronic myeloid Leukaemia. We were numb, we could not believe he now has a blood cancer on top of everything else. I was so angry at the world and so hurt how could this be happening again? But we have taken this news and once again remain positive and support each other. 
Our love for each other has been described to us by many as true love, forever love the type of love that lasts. And I do believe this too. We love each other so god damn much! We have each other’s back no matter what, we laugh until our belly’s ache, we adventure and explore, we grieve together but get through it. Bradley is absolutely my best friend and I am so blessed I have him to do life with. Life is so bloody short and that is why we encourage everyone we meet to just enjoy life, love hard, never go to bed without speaking and don’t give up if times get tough. Help each other get through the tough times so you can enjoy the happy times.