They face insurmountable odds, but that’s not stopping a group of kids from fulfilling their superhero dreams.
Josh Rossi is a photographer who helped the group of children, who are living with either disease or disability, to see their inner heroes, calling the six children the real Justice League.
Rossi and his wife, Roxana, worked with costume designers to help dress the children in to their super alter egos. Each child then received a copy of their photo.
Their stories:
Kayden Kinckle, 5, is a double-amputee and has been for most of his life. Both of his legs were removed when he was younger. He was also born with omphalocele, a condition in which his organs grow outside of his navel. Kayden was the team's Cyborg and was the first member of the Justice League. Click here to read Kayden's biography.
Sofie Loftus is the second member of the team. She was diagnosed at the age of 3 with a rare cancer called embryonal rhabdomyoscarcoma. Days before her chance to get in front of the camera as Wonder Woman, Sofie had her radiation treatment. She was weak but Rossi said she did her poses with fierceness. To help Sofie and her family, click here.
Teagan Pettit, 9, is the team's Man of Steel. Teagan was born with half a heart, or HLHS (hypoplastic left heart syndrome). He's had three open heart surgeries, among other procedures, to help him live. He has to wear oxygen at night and had a feeding tube until recently. Teagan loves Superman, Rossi said, so what better Justice League member is there for him to be? For more on Teagan and his story, click here.
Mataese Manuma is the fourth member of the team. He's only 2, but is battling megakaryoblastic leukemia. He was supposed to have his photo session shortly after a round of chemotherapy, but woke up a fever. It took a few days for him to be well enough to get in front of the camera and pose as Aquaman. Mataese needed help from his brother, and Rossi's Photoshop prowess, to get him into poses because he was so weak at the time. To help Mataese and his family, click here.
Zaiden Stolrow was suited up as The Flash. Zaiden has severe ADHD and has non-stop energy, Rossi said. He got in trouble at school because he couldn’t sit still and wait. All he wanted to do was run, but instead, Rossi said, Zaiden was sitting in the principal’s office during a school fundraising race with tears in his eyes because he had been in trouble for not behaving. His friends also stopped inviting him over because of his energy. There’s no better match for him than The Flash, a superhero who runs at the speed of light and never stops.
Finally, there was Batman of the Justice League. That honor went to Simon Fullmer, 5, who is battling nerve cancer called neuroblastoma. He loves the Dark Knight and Bruce Wane, Rossi said. Simon's mother told Rossi that her son is a "very literal kid," meaning he doesn't want to soften the blow when it comes to what's happening to his health. For more on Simon and how you can help his family, click here.
The “Justice League” movie hit theaters Nov. 17.
Credit: Photo courtesy: Joe Rossi Photography
Credit: Photo courtesy: Joe Rossi Photography
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