Amal
Completed breast cancer treatment in 2013
"I remember the day so clearly. Even though I was expecting the worst, it was quite different when I heard it. I suddenly found myself in a world I did not understand. The good thing is, the strength that you don’t think you have begins to surface — you are resilient, you can find the right words to say, and when and how to say them, and you are pragmatic."
Katrina
Diagnosed with breast cancer August 2017
"I was a healthy and happy person and I still got sick. Breast cancer doesn’t pick and choose who it’s going to target, it can happen to anyone, and many people don’t realize that. With more young women being diagnosed, I want to help raise awareness. I want people to do self-examinations and push for testing if you do feel a lump. As a younger woman who faced breast cancer, I recognize the importance of having a network who understands what you've gone through. That’s why I chose to share my story."
Debbie
Diagnosed with Stage 3 locally advanced breast cancer in October 2016
"When going through treatment, I felt like a symbol of breast cancer: the bald head, the pale skin. And then the treatment ended, but the journey didn’t end there. It’s always with me, even though my hair has grown back and it looks like things are back to normal. My experience with breast cancer still shapes who I am every day."
Karima
Living with metastatic breast cancer since 2014
Pictured here with her son Qail
"When I was diagnosed, I was so afraid I wouldn’t be there for my family’s milestones – my daughter Safeena’s wedding, my son Nahid’s 30th birthday or my son Qail’s 13th birthday. I saw all those days. Qail is now 17 and words cannot express how grateful I am for the time we have all had together."
Luisa
Completed treatment for breast cancer 2016
"Breast cancer awareness for me is about the bigger picture: the unseen moments, the vulnerable ones, the frightening ones, the lonely and sick ones. The bravery is in moving through all of this uncertainty and still finding joy in life."
Photography by Kevin Van Paassen
