breast cancer survivors

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer. About 182,460 women in the United States will be found to have invasive breast cancer in 2008. About 40,480 women will die from the disease this year. Right now there are about two and a half million breast cancer survivors in the United States. The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is about 1 in 8. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 35.

This morning I have been thinking a lot about breast cancer survivors, having just completed the Faces of Breast Cancer photo project for a local hospital, knowing so many women who will participate in tomorrow’s Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and not being able to get my mind off of Elizabeth Edwards.

I think it’s a good day to feature some of the survivors I photographed these last couple of weeks for the hospital project. As you may recall, I asked each of them to incorporate an object, gesture or word into their portrait – something that speaks to whatever it was that helped get them through their ordeal or that illustrates how they feel having gotten to the other side of it.


Diane has moved several times since her breast cancer many years ago, but she managed to find this photo of her two girls taken when she was going through her surgery and treatments. Not unlike most of the women I have photographed, she said it was family, faith and friends that sustained her. Diane said it was mostly her young daughters who kept her going.


Donna's mom made this afghan for her. She wrapped herself in it during and after each radiation treatment. You can't tell from this black and white photograph, but the colors her mom chose to use are the colors of the chakras.


Running is what helped get Susan through her struggle with breast cancer. She said back in the day, she usually managed to come in first or second in her age group in the Race for the Cure, but now she doesn't fare quite as well... too much great competition! 22,000 people will take part in the race in Kansas City tomorrow.


When Lindsay was diagnosed, she decided to go back to school and get her teaching credentials, something she had always wanted to do. Here she is - teacher and mother to her two little girls. Both of these roles were instrumental in pulling her through her ordeal.


Jennifer's choice of words speaks for itself. It was a bit of a stretch for her to make this picture - she doesn't lie down on her side in front of a mirror with a word written on it with soap very often! But she told me that ever since her breast cancer, she finds she is more willing to step out of her comfort zone, to try new things, to be more adventurous.


Pam's sense of humor made the journey much easier for her. She told me that just before she went in for her mastectomy, she plastered her chest and stomach with post-it notes. Each had little messages and arrows for the surgeon, like "Take this breast, not the other," "Remember, you said you'd remove this mole," and "Look! Here's another little mole you can get rid of."


Debbie had a hard time coming up with ideas for her picture. As we began to talk about it, it was clear that she was a strong and centered woman. I wanted to show that in her picture. She did finally say that after each chemo and radiation treatment, she would pump her arms and say "YES!" It's certainly a gesture all of us survivors can understand and relate to.