I’ve mentioned before, and often, that I feel a lot of my clients come into my life for a reason and Aneela is no exception. While most of my clientele live on the mainland, Aneela and Aaron live right here on Maui. Get ready to get inspired by Aneela’s story…

When Aneela was five and living in Orlando, Florida, her mom was diagnosed with colon cancer. She fought long and hard for six years before losing her battle. Devastated and alone, Aneela and her sister moved to California where Aneela tried to deal with her grief. A few years later, she found herself visiting Maui, loving the island, but ultimately returning to California where her depression and sadness grew.

During these years, her Golden Retriever, Maggie, was her emotional support animal. Maggie gave Aneela a reason to get up every morning and get through her day.

Aneela knew she wanted to become on Oncology nurse from early on and completed 6 years of being a nurse in the ER before starting her oncology specialty, all the while keeping her sadness to herself, pouring her heart into work and into her dog, Maggie.

Through dealing with depression, she decided that she needed to make some changes and wanted to train for a marathon on Maui. “I’m not looking back, I’m looking ahead.” was her mantra and while on Maui, she was baptized on Friday at a special beach, ran her marathon on Sunday, went on a snorkel trip on Monday, where Aaron was the boat captain – and they fell in love at first sight.

Within two months she packed up her and Maggie and moved to Maui where she and Aaron were married the following November at Gannon’s.

Aneela’s dedication to her patients is amazing. She gives 100% of herself to her patients and realizes that her mom’s passing ultimately carved the path for her life’s work in supporting cancer patients here on Maui.

Maggie, her Golden Retriever, is an emotional support dog with Caring K9’s of Maui, an organization on Maui that exists to improve the quality of life for people through therapy dog visits.

Throughout the year I donate sessions to fundraisers for multiple health issues, and in this case, Aneela was the winning bidder on a session I had donated. Learning her story and knowing what she does to improve lives on this island touched me in such a profound way. I hope her story inspires you today!

Maui Photographer: Mariah Milan // Maui Location: Kanaha Beach // Time of Day: Morning