((PKG)) Breast Cancer Photography Project
((Banner: Photography of the Ill))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera: Mike Burke))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: Davidsonville, Maryland))
((NATS))
((Cheryl Listman, Cancer Survivor))
I was diagnosed in 2013 and I had a 40 percent chance of survival with Stage 2B breast cancer.
((Linda McCarthy, Photographer))
The project came to me. I wasn’t looking to photograph breast cancer survivors, but it came to me because I was looking for an adult ballerina to photograph for my portfolio. I was introduced to Maggie, who is known as the bald ballerina. She was diagnosed at the age of 23 with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. So, I met with her and I asked if I could photograph her, not as a ballerina, but as a beautiful girl who happens to have breast cancer.
((NATS))
((Cheryl Listman, Cancer Survivor))
I work with women. I help educate women who are going through the journey and just help them navigate through the medical side of it and when she asked me, I thought, well, maybe it's just another impact that I could have on women, you know, and then also I would be able to look back at those photos and see how far I came.
((NATS))
((Victoria Ronan, Makeup Artist))
In some cases, it's been a very long time since they’ve had makeup on. It's been a very long time since they’ve done something for themselves. I had a lot of women look in the mirror and just start tearing up because they can’t believe how beautiful I've made them look.
((NATS))
((Linda McCarthy, Photographer))
I wanted to photograph them as whole women, not the parts that they see of themselves. So, I didn't want scars. I didn't want anything like that, but I wanted them to see how beautiful they are.
((NATS))
((Cheryl Listman, Cancer Survivor))
It's very important, because when you go through a horrific journey and treatment, you don't feel beautiful. There is a lot of things done to your body physically. There is a lot of things done to you emotionally, mentally, things that you will never forget that are not pretty. So, when you get to that point in your journey, you feel like a woman again. You feel beautiful. You feel like you've accomplished the mission.
((NATS))
