A Canadian photographer is celebrating breast cancer survivors through a new portrait series for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Absolutely thrilled to share that @people has covered our I WANT YOU TO KNOW photo essay depicting the diverse faces of breast cancer. https://t.co/SOpWLObL7D
— ellynjane (@ellynjane) October 11, 2023
According to People Magazine, Hilary Gould created the “I Want You To Know” display to show the individuals connected to breast cancer struggles.
“I would like people just to take this series in,” she said. “As scary as it feels, understand that you do have to get checked. The earlier you do it, the better the outcome.”
She noted the “I Want You To Know” series was inspired by a friend who went through breast cancer treatments and received a double mastectomy in 2022.
Gould also expressed shock when learning about the non-hereditary nature of many breast cancer cases.
“I was surprised to learn that 85% of breast cancers have no family history,” she noted.
In addition, Gould discussed the main theme she wished to embody through this work. “When I started thinking about this series, I really thought about the messages out there that already exist: get to know your body, advocate for yourself.”
The series includes 31 women from age 26 to 73, women like 40-year-old participant Nadine McKenzie.
McKenzie was diagnosed in September of 2022 after experiencing throbbing in her chest and finding a lump. Although this was diagnosed as Stage III HER2+ PR/ER IDC breast cancer, it metastasized into her lungs and quickly progressed to Stage 4.
“I couldn’t believe breast cancer was going to be a part of my story but I also didn’t want it to be someone else’s story.”
She described her choice to participate in the “I Want You To Know” series stating, “I wanted women to look at me, see themselves and get in motion.”
“I felt if I didn’t share my story I was contributing to the narrative. So I started to share my story,” she concluded.