Shortly before my mastectomy I decided it would be fun to do a family photo shoot. We could celebrate that I had finished my chemo treatments and also get some shots with our little miracle Bryce with the rest of our kids for the first time. We did it at the beach, one of my favorite places, somewhere my kids also love. I was hoping just to catch some joyful moments together as a family before the surgery and final but tough part of this cancer journey.
The pictures came out great but more importantly we had so much fun that evening. I didn’t care that I had a terrible part in my hair (that is finally starting to fill in!) It didn’t matter what I looked like, what mattered was I was here and could celebrate one huge milestone down in the cancer battle, the end of chemo. The photo shoot captures exactly what I had hoped, happiness and smiles of all of my family together. I am so glad we did this and love how beautiful the photos came out.
There are times I don’t want to replay or remember this cancer journey and how much I have changed, especially physically, but I have learned to be proud of the battle I have fought and proud of how much I’ve grown. Looks don’t matter, it’s what is on the inside that counts. This year is all about survival and I don’t just want to survive, I want to thrive. These photos helped to capture me thriving with the six people that keep me going every day.
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