Holly Mead Photography

September 1, 2023
It was the beginning of my 7th year as the Karns City HS photographer. In those years, I photographed around 55 Gremlin football games (on top of the hundreds I shot before joining KC)
I loved being on the sideline with these kids, catching so many of their memories.
On this day, I got to the game very early. I don't know why this happened, but I felt the need to make sure I focused on the QB, Mason Martin. As the team warmed up I grabbed my telephoto and began snapping pictures, mainly of Mason. I even remember thinking, 'maybe I'll do a cool page in the yearbook with these'. Little did I know...
During the second half of the game, Mason sustained life threatening injuries. He was flown by helicopter to Pittsburgh where they found that he had a collapsed lung and a major TBI (brain bleed) He was in for the fight of his life and prayer warriors surrounded him from all over the world. He continues to fight today and is a true miracle.
Last week I had the honor of photographing the Martin family for our local newspaper. I have never been so moved. This family has so much love, gratitude & faith that it is inspiring. Mason still has a long road of recovery ahead of him. Please continue to pray.
Though I have stepped away from my role as the KC school photographer, I remain

Here are a few photos from the interview and from the first half of the game he was injured in.

Mason found his voice ❤️

‘Today was the day’: Karns City quarterback Mason Martin uses voice for first time in nearly a year

The latest update on Mason Martin from his dad:

The last few weeks Mason has been bothered by a nagging cough. It’s nothing too intense, but it’s just enough to wake him up throughout the night. So once again, he was fighting against a lack of sleep. The coughing has improved and he has been able to string together a few good days. The tube feeds are still a work in progress, but I feel we are moving in the right direction. He has made some pretty good strides in how his stomach is tolerating the feeds and this could have a big impact moving forward.

Rehab is going well. The therapists are working extremely hard and challenging him every session. He stands every session with an emphasis on balancing himself evenly between each leg. I think they’re going to start working on walking him very soon. He has been improving a lot when we stand him at home. He’ll start with his body leaning on his forearms. He’ll then stand upright by pushing himself up and supporting himself with his hands. Lately he has been trying to lift his hands and stand completely unsupported. He can stand there for a few seconds unsupported before losing balance.

He continues to make cognitive improvements as well. His speech therapist has him using picture cards and identifying different pictures by looking at the one she asks him to. He has been able to answer consistently and even identify between different names that are spelled out. His ability to swallow is getting much faster and aggressive as well.

He continues to improve slowly, but noticeably. I know I sound like a broken record but it seems to be a constant battle with nutrition and sleep, but we are close. Myself and the medical team have been thrilled with the progress he’s been making with his feeds since my last update. I just have this gut feeling that he is about to do something big very soon. As always God continues to put him in the right place and surrounds him with the right people. We are so grateful and blessed to be cared for and supported by so many. We will continue to work and fight until he is able to get up and walk himself off the field.
Thanks for everything and God bless.

Jeremiah 29:11

So well deserved. I can't wait to see you on that Miss America stage!
Miss Pennsylvania

Probably one of my favorite pageant pictures yet. Congratulations Miss Pennsylvania 2024, Page Weinstein!

Miss Pennsylvania 2024 is off to a great start!

MASON IS HOME! Praise God for this miracle. Continue to pray for him and his family as they have a very long, difficult road ahead.
Update from his dad:

Update on Mason (6-12-24)

After spending over 9 months in three different hospitals, Mason is home! He discharged from Children’s Hospital yesterday afternoon. It was a long exhausting day. I am thankful for the home nurses that were waiting for us and for their tireless work getting everything organized and set up. McKenna and Syd were a huge help and of course the dogs created pure chaos going crazy over the return of Mason. It was a rough day for Mason. He was stressed out and tense from all the hustle of discharge and his first ride in a vehicle in a while. The highlight of the day is when him and I spent the evening sitting peacefully on the back deck with the dogs.

Today was a great day! We had so much fun and he was relaxed and calm all day. We have goals for each day and today we accomplished them. I know things can change daily when recovering from a TBI, but today was a win and we’ll celebrate it.

I know this is the next chapter and the page needed to be turned, but I would be lying if I said leaving wasn’t difficult. I have met people that have changed my life. Some I know I will probably never see again. Everyone will want to keep in touch, but life always seems to interfere. The Rehab Unit took us in and immediately treated us like one of their own. My phone is always on for a call and my door is always open for a visit.

For now, I’m still running on adrenaline and hoping to catch up on some missed sleep. The staff at Children’s have prepared me for this next step and I’m looking forward to Mason and I getting back to living life. Thank you for all your continued prayers and support. The best is yet to come.

Jeremiah 29:11

Excited to announce that I have accepted a staff photography position at the Butler Eagle. On to new adventures!
I will still be doing my studio jobs (seniors, weddings, dance schools, various team sports & leagues and Miss PA)

The latest update on Mason Martin ❤️

Update on Mason (5-15-24)

We are still at Children’s Hospital. The results from the sleep study gave us some good news. It was always assumed that he had central apnea which can be life threatening. Central apnea means that the brain is not regulating his breathing properly. It turns out that he has obstructive apnea which is what most people at home on a CPap have. We’re still trying to get the settings perfected and he hasn’t had any episodes of desaturation the last two nights.

He is still doing very well in rehab. Since the latest BiPap adjustments he has been more awake and alert throughout the last few days. He is really getting faster and more efficient with his movements and his thought process. I have been really impressed with his ability to think and strategize while playing board games. He did receive acupuncture on his left leg over the weekend and it has had a very positive result on his range of motion. We’re hoping to get a second round later this week.

I’m not even going to predict when he’ll be discharged. The goal is to leave the hospital full of confidence and expectation rather than leaving with our fingers crossed. I want him to be in a position where he can thrive and be set up for success. We are both anxious to get home, but only when he is stable enough that we’re not coming back to the hospital every other week.

I can’t stress enough how thankful I am to have received such great care and support during our hospital stay. I was so happy to see Alex and the entire 6fg staff at Presby get the recognition they deserve. The staff here at Children’s have been as equally impressive. The last week has been very stressful for me with all the back and forth over discharging from the hospital. I often feel bad for his nurse Sam because she always has to mediate and advise me through these frustrating times. Over the weekend she kept Dr. Kremm aware of my thoughts and frustrations. Dr. Kremm, being the amazing person she is, just “happened” to stop by Sunday afternoon. She basically came in, sat down, and was like “lay it on me.” It bothered her so much that I was upset that she took time away from her family on Mother’s Day to come in and see me. As always, by the time she left we were laughing and at ease. Sam and Dr. Kremm are just two examples of this great staff and I am grateful for them all everyday.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Jeremiah 29:11