My journey started in 2019 when I learned I carried a BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation. I was hesitant at first but ultimately decided to have a prophylactic mastectomy. A week after surgery my life was flipped upside down. A tumor was found and I had triple negative breast cancer. My tumor was too small to see on the scans I had just before my mastectomy. I started chemotherapy and ended up getting cellulitis and needed my left implant removed.

The photo was taken the morning before my tissue expander was being placed. It was almost 9 months after my mastectomy and 6 months since my explant. My relationship with my body has been complicated since my mastectomy, but on the morning of my surgery I looked at my body with a new appreciation. It went to war. I have had 8 surgeries since I learned I carried the mutations. Two of those surgeries were emergency surgeries to save my life. My body may not look the way I thought it would, but she is powerful, strong, courageous, and resilient.