Tribute to a Personal Hope Chest
Marly, Vancouver, BC
Fall 2003 Vol.4 No.4 - Abreast in the West
Click, click. Click, click, click. That was the sound of the camera, almost a year ago, recording the sadness, empathy, hope, and joy in my eyes in the broader shots of the two mastectomy scars misaligned across my chest. I had wanted personal tribute, to the history these scars represented. After almost three years without my left breast and one and a half years without the other, I was finally ready to receive a transformation through breast reconstruction.
In retrospect, it’s extraordinary what my real breasts meant to me as a woman. Sometimes I found my two rather annoying (especially during sports!) and when they lost their youthful perkiness and really began to waddle around. Mostly though, I found them to be sensual, feminine, and lovely. They were mine. I miss them.
Once I chose to reconstruct, I didn’t want to just remove all recollection of the battle scars on my chest. I’d been so “ok” with my flat and double-scarred chest and, considered it sacred ground.
I was introduced to the photography of a local artist named Kellie Yandle. I loved the freshness, ease, and love her photos conveyed and felt certain Kellie would have the sensitivity necessary to work with me.
photo: Kellie Yandle
In ancient Greek folklore, an Amazon woman was hunter and warrior who, for the purposes of better survival, had one breast removed in order to shoot more accurately with a bow and arrow. I decided the best way to honour my breastless chest was to show the camera what it was like to aim and shoot for my life. So, draped with a white gauze cloth and donning a bow and arrow I took on the stance of an Amazon.
We submitted photos for the 2004 Breast of Canada calendar. Now, I’m
a ‘calendar girl’ for the month of October. You can purchase
one on line at www.breastofcanada.com or call (519) 767.0142.