In a changing world, a family seeks to capture a moment
Six family members live in a one-bedroom apartment where a mattress occupies most of the tiny south Sacramento living area.
Their mother died in a house fire in Vietnam. Three of five daughters suffered serious burns in the same blaze.
Despite the hardships, members of the Vo family believe they are rich because they are alive, together and have a bright future.
"We want to get an education and have a good life," said the eldest Vo daughter, Kiki, 15.
The family's focus on education is obvious in their tiny apartment where the girls' academic trophies and ribbons are displayed proudly next to Hello Kitty pictures and Barbie Doll posters.
Chu Vo has raised his five daughters since their mother died in a fire about six years ago. He came to the United States with the three oldest girls a few years ago so they could receive treatment for their burns at Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California. Later, the two youngest girls joined the family.
Kiki and Nini suffered the worst burns. They were ashamed of the scars on their faces and arms until they attended a firefighters' burn camp and learned that they weren't the only teenagers with visible burns.
"It's easier when you go to burn camp. It gives you courage to know there are other kids out there like you," Kiki said.
"They changed our lives," Nini said.
The girls now wear short-sleeved shirts and pull their hair away from their faces - no longer fearful of revealing their scars.
Employees at the Firefighters Burn Institute in Sacramento are hoping that Book of Dreams readers will pay for the Vo family to have their portrait professionally taken.
The family lost all of their pictures in the fire and would like to memorialize the family as it is now, especially since they know how quickly life can change a family.
"We've never really taken a photo of us all together," Nini said.