The Dailymail has some details on the picture taken by Pete Souza, a White House photographer:
Meet Janiya Penny, the terminally ill eight-year-old whose dream came true earlier this year when she got to meet her idol, President Obama.
The meeting was made possible by the Make-A-Wish foundation, after associates approached Janiya three years ago as she battled sickle cell anemia, a life-threatening disease that causes excruciating pain.
When she told them her dream was to meet the President they panicked, unsure they could make it happen, even trying to get her to change her wish.
But she was adamant. Obama was her hero and that was all she wanted.
Janiya first fell for the President in 2008, staying up late to watch him give his inaugural speech.
Bonus picture goodness!
“I had this impulse to hug him, so I did. And I cried. I think I even got tears on the Vice President’s suit jacket! … I am hugging the man who will help me and help our President move forward.”
— Kobe
Standing at the back of a packed high school gym as Vice President Biden finished speaking in Ft. Myers, Florida, on Saturday was 15-year-old Kobe Groce. He cradled a “Forward” sign, hoping to get the Vice President to sign it for his brother, Kaelin. After unsuccessfully trying to make it to the front of the event, a staff member asked if he could help. Kobe told his story, and the staffer left for a moment and came back, saying simply: “The Vice President would like to meet you.”
1:11 PM PT: Because not everyone needs a wife to humanize them:
1:29 PM PT: Cant fake this!
1:36 PM PT:
Stephanie Miller of Sandusky, Ohio cries on the shoulder of President Obama at a campaign event at Washington Park in Sandusky, Ohio. Miller’s sister died of cancer and said that Obama’s healthcare plan would have given her better treatment options
2:44 PM PT: 'enthusiasm gap' this!: