New Jersey based writer Emily Helck was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. She knew that the upcoming year of chemotherapy and surgery would be one of the most challenging and harrowing experiences of her life, so she made the decision to document it by taking a weekly photo for an entire year.
Her initial plan was to chronicle her treatment for 12 weeks, but she decided to keep the project going. Her treatment included a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and reconstruction. Her hope is that through the video, people facing what she faced will be less frightened.
A big part of the power that this disease has is that it makes people afraid. For me, the unknown is almost always worse than the reality.? She hopes that her video ?can shine a light on a little bit of that unknown. (Yahoo News)
Helck’s efforts have inspired many people — more than 795 thousand people who have viewed her YouTube video.?In September 2013, she compiled the photos into a stunning time-lapse video.
She admits that it’s odd looking back at the photos. From her blog:
“It’s odd to look at this. I normally don’t like looking at photos of myself. Um, particularly when I look like shit. But I feel, I don’t know, separate from this person somehow, even though the last photos are from just a few days ago. I feel like the girl in the photos made it through pretty unscathed, though the look on her face sometimes makes me sad.”
h/t Peta Pixel
