As soon as you start talking about it, everyone knows someone.  Living on Long Island, 1 out of every 6 women gets Breast Cancer.  Imagine your favorite 6 women.  Odds are, one of them will go through this.  Chemo.  Radiation.  Mastectomy.  Reconstruction.  Loss of hair.  Loss of nails.   Bone pain.  Nausea.  Life turned upside down. 

Around the holidays, a good friend of mine was diagnosed.  She’s 27. What. The. Hell? I felt I needed to take action.  To do something to get a conversation going.  Here it is.  A Breast Cancer Survivor Portrait Project. 

I started with two amazing women: my cousin and my friend.   I first presented it to my cousin, who is now 3 years Cancer-free.  She said, “Yes.  I think I need this.”  When I asked my friend if she’d like to be apart of this project, she didn’t even let me finish my sentence before saying, “I’m in!  Can I do it topless?  I need to re-claim my new body.”  My answer, “Baby, you can do whatever you want.”  And it was born.

My objectives with this project:  To help women like my cousin and friend feel good about their bodies.  To help them heal.  To capture the essence of who they are.  To celebrate them through the fight. And post fight.  To raise awareness in all ages of women.  To encourage women to get screened.  To support my loved ones.  To remind women that they are beautiful and powerful.  To highlight the inner Warrior.  We may not reveal her daily.  But She’s always inside in full armor.  And when we are up against something that threatens our existence, she shows up.  She makes it happen. 

This is for the Warriors.  This project is to celebrate their hearts.