Bald is beautiful.
“Mom, put your hair back on.”
Amber was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer in April after she discovered a lump in one of her breasts. Since then she’s had a double mastectomy and started chemotherapy. She has a lot on her plate with all her treatments, feeling lousy and not to mention she is a wife and mother to beautiful 3-year-old twins. Her courage is inspiring and she has only gotten more beautiful through her trial.
For weeks I’ve been wanting to ask her if she wanted to do any sort of photo shoot to document this time in her life, but didn’t want to be invasive. The feeling was so strong on Wednesday that I finally asked her. She replied within a few minutes that it was a total answer to prayers. I found out she would lose her hair any second and had already kept it 3 days longer than anyone she knew. She was planning on shaving it so she didn’t wake up with it on the pillow.
In less than 24 hours, I was able to round together a team of amazing vendors for a breast cancer inspiration shoot Amber deserved. We were able to use a beautiful blush Vera Wang dress and gorgeous jewelry from Bridal Brilliance Rentals. Miss Syna Pok Harris rearranged her schedule to do Amber’s make up. Then, we planned to meet at a stunning location up in the mountains thanks to Shaun Smith and Janna Stout Morrell.
I met Amber for a quick pre-hair-cut-shoot after make-up with Syna then we went over to Amber’s in-law’s home to shave her head (which will all be blogged separately as part of the Beauty Revived Project). Annette, her mother-in-law, is her amazing hair dresser. She set up her little salon in the front yard with a mirror for Amber to watch. There were a few tears shed, but Amber was soo unbelievably positive through the entire thing. After she shaved (and bronzed) her hair we were ready to dress her up like a breast cancer fighting princess.
During the entire photo shoot, Amber was smiling, laughing and having a good time. At the end she asked “Should I be having this much fun after shaving off my hair?” The answer is definitely yes. I am soo happy we could turn this really crappy situation into a memorable, beautiful one.
family pictures, may 2014
last shoot with hair, july 2014
the shave, july 2014
This blog may be freely shared, however the photographer’s name, credits and links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.
CREDITS
photography: Kylee Ann Photography
dress: Bridal Brilliance Rentals
make up artist: Syna Harris
Kylee started Kylee Ann Photography 9 years ago, and has since grown from a one woman amateur show to a full associate team. We shoot 50-75 weddings a year, and thrive on kindness and service. After a year of teaching Intro to Photography at the local technical college, she discovered that helping other entrepreneurs create thriving businesses is what fires her up! She hosts semi-annual Kylee Ann Sleepovers all over the US, speak at conferences and teach online courses about running a small business and marketing.
July 4, 2014
Kylee Maughan
