01of 06Sue CookSue CookWhen Cook was first diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, doctors predicted she had just a 40 percent chance of living another five years. So five years of remission later — after chemotherapy and radical mastectomies to remove her entire breast tissue and muscle — the art professor decided to honor her health with a lace tattoo over her scars. “I began reclaiming my body to show that cancer doesn’t always have to leave the last mark,” Cook told PEOPLE. “It’s difficult to explain how happy my tattoo makes me feel. To me it is a thing of beauty and every morning when I see it — it’s like it’s for the first time — it puts a smile on my face."
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Sue Cook
When Cook was first diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, doctors predicted she had just a 40 percent chance of living another five years. So five years of remission later — after chemotherapy and radical mastectomies to remove her entire breast tissue and muscle — the art professor decided to honor her health with a lace tattoo over her scars. “I began reclaiming my body to show that cancer doesn’t always have to leave the last mark,” Cook told PEOPLE. “It’s difficult to explain how happy my tattoo makes me feel. To me it is a thing of beauty and every morning when I see it — it’s like it’s for the first time — it puts a smile on my face."
02of 06Andrea SalazarGerardo GarmendiaThe 17-year-old may have lost her hair, but Salazar never lost her confidence. While undergoing treatment for stage 2 nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma, the high school student and aspiring model organized a “princess” photoshoot, complete with a Cinderella-blue gown and a fairytale setting. “Cancer doesn’t stop me from being a princess,” Salazar tweeted.
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Andrea Salazar
Gerardo Garmendia
The 17-year-old may have lost her hair, but Salazar never lost her confidence. While undergoing treatment for stage 2 nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma, the high school student and aspiring model organized a “princess” photoshoot, complete with a Cinderella-blue gown and a fairytale setting. “Cancer doesn’t stop me from being a princess,” Salazar tweeted.
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Alison Habbal
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Natasha Fogarty
Kari Dallas
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Marquina Iliev-Piselli
Casey Fatchett
06of 06Sarah WhiteCourtesy Sarah WhiteWhen White learned that her breast cancer wasn’t just back — it had spread to her chest wall, spine and lungs and was now stage IV — the mom of two sunk into a depression. At the urging of a friend, she decided to enter an all-ages beauty pageant to boost her spirits and promote her platform of self-checking for breast cancer. White ended up winning, becoming Mrs. Virginia All-Star United States. “It was just something to get me out of the funk,” she told PEOPLE. “But something good has obviously come out of it.”
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Sarah White
Courtesy Sarah White
When White learned that her breast cancer wasn’t just back — it had spread to her chest wall, spine and lungs and was now stage IV — the mom of two sunk into a depression. At the urging of a friend, she decided to enter an all-ages beauty pageant to boost her spirits and promote her platform of self-checking for breast cancer. White ended up winning, becoming Mrs. Virginia All-Star United States. “It was just something to get me out of the funk,” she told PEOPLE. “But something good has obviously come out of it.”
source: people.com
