09/24/2026
Last year, my dear friend Ric Lewis Photography picked up a camera and captured a picture of me I will never forget.
I wasn't the photographer that day. I was a woman in the middle of the fight of her life.
In January 2025, I heard the words no woman ever wants to hear: you have breast cancer. One month later, in February, I had a mastectomy. I made the choice to decline chemo and pursue a different option, one that felt right for me and my body. This journey is far from over. I will be on medication for the next nine years, and every six months I lie still for a CT scan and hold my breath until the results come back.
There were days I didn't recognize the woman in the mirror. Days I was scared, exhausted, and just trying to make it to tomorrow.
But when I saw the image Ric captured, I saw something I had forgotten was there. Strength. Grace. Me.
Ric, there is a part of me that will never be able to truly thank you. You didn't just take a photo. You helped me find feelings I couldn't put into words and understand them in a way I never could have on my own. You gave me back a piece of myself when I needed it most, and I will carry that with me forever.
I have spent over 20 years behind the camera helping other people see themselves that way. I never expected to need that gift so badly myself.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this year I want to do something that means more to me than any session I have ever booked. I'm recreating that image, and I would love to invite other breast cancer warriors to stand in front of my camera too.
Whether you are newly diagnosed, in the thick of treatment, or years into survivorship, your story matters. Your scars, your changed body, your tired eyes and your fierce heart are all worth celebrating.
If this speaks to you and would like a session with the chance to share your story, please reach out to me. And if someone you love is walking this road, please tag her or share this with her. Sometimes we just need someone to remind us we are still beautiful and we are not alone.
Message me here,
call 931-905-2363,
or email [email protected]
We are more than a diagnosis. Let's show the world.
