The Peripheral: Lance's Chance

Lance Witt is a 6-year-old that never got to be like the other kids. He was born with a congenital heart defect that caused him to be sluggish and sick most of his short life. This summer his condition worsened and he had to have a heart transplant. His new heart has given him a new life.
I arrived at the Witt home one day right after he and his older brother Emory had gotten home from school. I followed the boys around as they got down to the business of play. Lance took off on his scooter up and down, up and down his driveway with erupting giggles. He then took off down the hill towards a trampoline. I saw the opportunity for a cool photo and climbed underneath to shoot up as the sun filtered through. He made a game of peaking at me through the cracks and trying to move before I could photograph him laughing all the while. Finally his grandmother Judy coaxed him back to the house where the boys brought out their pet hermit crabs to play on the back porch. I left shortly after their mother arrived home. It was inspiring to see Lance enjoying life so much after what he has been through and a joy to photograph all that fun.

Lance Witt, 6, enjoys the breeze in his face as he scoots by on his razor in the driveway of his home Wednesday Dec. 3, 2009, in Winder. The first-grader was born with a congenital heart defect and had a heart transplant this summer that has given him a lot more energy.