This week I had the privilege of photographing a beautiful woman to commemorate a very special time in her life. Claudia is in remission after undergoing chemotherapy treatments and a mastectomy to fight an aggressive form of breast cancer. She's always had long hair and wanted to capture this part of her journey as her hair begins to grow back. She gave me permission to share her story here. Claudia has always been healthy and active. She did everything "right" (from healthy eating to yoga) and always felt great. It wasn't until a routine annual physical that her world was turned upside down with the news that she had an aggressive form of breast cancer. The cancer was detected through the doctor's PHYSICAL check. The thorough mammogram she had done just days before came back CLEAR. Because the cancer was caught so early, Claudia is now in remission and telling every woman she encounters to GET YOUR YEARLY PHYSICAL. No matter how much it sucks (and we know it does).

I've been putting off getting back on the yearly physical train since my 6-week postpartum check-up after having Neve. But tomorrow morning, I'm making my appointment. As Claudia told me, "do it for your daughter".