When this young mother of three and beloved wife called to apologize for being a “bad friend” this summer because she’d been busy at the doctors, my heart dropped as she told me about her recent diagnosis: breast AND thyroid cancer. I was completely shocked and so very sad. But I could hear her smile through the phone, the same smile I’d photographed so many times before. How could she be smiling? What could I do to help? Not much. Except be a friend. Be a sounding board. Assure her of what she already knew, that her soul was strong. Cancer was attacking her body, but not the essence of who she is. A fighter. A survivor. A woman of immense faith. I knew I needed to photograph her in a way that would help tell her story, that would preserve the very body she bore and fed three children with. Most of the images I created are just for her, but with her permission, I’m sharing these few with you today.
Since creating these images, she’s had her thyroid and both breasts removed and will start chemo/radiation in the next week or two. I went to visit her last week and you know what, she is exactly the woman I’ve always known and loved. Only she’s wiser and spends time pondering daily what really matters most in life. Her physical pain is real, but her example has confirmed to me that we really are so much more than a body of flesh and bones.
Come what may physically, our souls stand independent, supreme. Our bodies are something to care for, to celebrate the health of, but their shape and size matters only when we let it. And every second of good health we (and those we love) are blessed with should be cherished. October was breast cancer awareness month. And November is the month we find our gratitude for every breath we take.