Dear friends,

A few months ago I put my hand up to be included in a photo exhibit about breast cancer patients/survivors, called "Portraits of Strength," having read about it in the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation newsletter. The exhibit opened last night in central Auckland, New Zealand, and you're all invited! I know most of you won't be in Auckland while the exhibit runs (i.e., within the next ten days). But thanks to the magic of the Internet, you can view the exhibit from the comfort of your own home, at http://portraitsofstrength.com/.

The "sitters" represent a variety of ages, cancer types, and ethnic groups. Oh, and by the way ... the portraits are topless. Some of us have been reconstructed, some not. What's the point, you may be wondering, of showing off one's scar/rebuilt boob? Here's what I thought, when I learned that Damien (the photographer) was still recruiting. Not long ago, one of the BC organizations here ran an ad campaign that was meant to be thought-provoking. And it was. One of the billboard ads showed a youngish woman holding a baby to her scarred non-breast. How sad, I thought ... not being a youngish woman myself, I at least made it through my youth with two breasts, and nursed my baby. And then, being a survivor myself, I realised how deeply unsatisfactory "sad" is. Because for us, it's the new normal. This is now my normal body ... I have no other!

Happy Breast Cancer Awareness month, everyone.

Love Andrea