I’m sure that you all know someone that has battled breast cancer. Some have won, some have lost, and some are still fighting. I’ve had several friends fight the fight at various stages, and I am thankful to say that I haven’t had to say goodbye to any of them.
The grim reality of this awful disease hit me two years ago when one of my friends from church was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer at age 30. Thirty. I was 29 at the time. She had a husband. She had two young kids, about the same age as my own. She was a beautiful lady inside and out. My heart ached for her and her family and everything she was going through. Despite having had friends that had gone through this before, none of them hit as close to home as it did this time.
It was awful watching her go through everything to fight this disease. But man, she fought hard…and she WON. She is still the mother to two beautiful kids, wife to a gorgeous husband, and still one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. (You rock, Mary!)
Back when she was diagnosed, I had the idea that I would love to honor those that have fought breast cancer and won – represent them photographically, tell their story, and put it all into a book. It’s been two years since I had the idea and I’ve finally hashed out all of the details.
I want to create an art book featuring portraits of these amazing fighters. I want to tell their stories in pictures and in words. I have recruited professional storyteller, Kindra Hall, to tell the stories of these women (and men if I can find any!), their fight, and their triumph for the book.
I want to use this book to raise awareness and raise money to find a cure. I will spend the next year putting the book together and will then be selling them and donating 100% of the profits to the cause in October 2011.
So I need your help. If you are a survivor of breast cancer (or know someone who is), and would like to participate in this project, please contact me to learn how to get involved. Those featured in the book will get a complimentary portrait session as well as a copy of the book.
I can also use sponsors to help fund the cost of the project, so if you’re interested, please let me know how you would like to be involved.
I look forward to working on this and hope that you will enjoy the final product!
{what they’ve said}