1. The trick to the “bat cave” effect is to cut the bats out by folding the paper in half. You can make varying sizes and styles while cutting at a fast pace. Even the kids can get involved with cutting them out.
As a cancer survivor, I have become more health and environmentally conscious. Most of us survivors have increased susceptibility to secondary cancer and other health issues. When I began to switch to a healthier lifestyle, I knew that swapping out my beauty products would be a part of that transition. I learned what ingredients were harmful and how some brands use marketing to make you perceive them as "clean" when, in reality, they have toxic chemicals that absorb into your skin.
Sharing a few images from the weekend, I spent in Miami assisting photographer Michele Haro on an album cover shoot for Robert Harris. It will probably be one of my most memorable work trips. We didn't explore the nightlife but had the perfect view of downtown from our hotel room, paired with delicious food and cocktails; it turned into the perfect girl's night. Photographing took all weekend with the musician as we walked around downtown and south beach to find those perfect shots.
Forever Chemicals in the Indian River Lagoon
In Brevard County, Florida, some of the nation's highest detections of harmful chemicals were found at Department of Defense bases and aerospace industry sites. These cancer-causing chemicals were at levels higher than the Environmental Protection Agencies' (EPA) safety limit of 70 parts per trillion.
PFAS are not known to break down in the environment and have become global pollutants threatening people and wildlife. Once in our bodies, they stick around - with half-lives in people of up to eight years. These chemicals never break down and build up in our blood and organs; they are often known as "forever chemicals."
The Department of Defense used aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) during training, where PFAS exposure was inevitable. They knew these toxic "forever chemicals" were harmful to the environment and human health in the 1970s but continued to use the foam. The EPA also knew these chemicals were toxic since 1998 and failed to protect the environment. These chemical compounds are being found in waterways surrounding the industries that use them.
After the Department of Defense released its sampling report in early 2018, communities learned that per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were detected in groundwater and drinking water throughout Brevard County.
NASA also identified this contamination of emerging concern in groundwater at the Kennedy Space Center that exceeded federal standards.
In March 2013, my little brother, Cameron, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. It started as a bronchitis diagnosis until his follow-up; the X-ray showed a suspicious shadow. Imagine being told you have a chest cold and discovering scattered tumors throughout your body. My brother chose to have the tumors removed through open-heart surgery. We still didn't think it was cancer, mainly because the experts told us they felt it would most likely be benign tumors.
The surgery was a long grueling 8 hours of hospital food and waiting rooms as we nervously awaited news on his progress. Once the operation was finished, the surgeon came out and told us that the tumors were cancerous. We had no history of cancer on either side of the family and didn't know anything about it other than losing our Uncle Joe a few months early in January to the disease. Our Uncle Joe wasn't blood-related. He was married to my father's sister but lived with us most of our lives.
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| Uncle Joe passed a few weeks after finding out he had cancer. |
After my brother began chemotherapy treatment, I flew to El Paso, Texas, where my military husband was stationed to give birth to our second child and only daughter. My husband was deployed to Afghanistan when I welcomed our beautiful newborn girl into the world on June 8, 2013. Then a few weeks after giving birth (three months after my brother's diagnosis), I received the news that I had Hodgkin's lymphoma, same cancer as my brother. Printed on a piece of copy paper were my scan results;
"There is a large anterosuperior mediastinal mass that extends around the left heart border measuring 12.3cm. A second mass adjacent to the left heart is also present, measuring 4.9cm. Within the right mediastinum, there is an enlarged lymph node measuring 3.8cm. Multiple other scattered enlarged lymph nodes are also identified in the left region…"
You know that the news isn't going to be positive when the nurse taking your information appears somber. The doctor walked in with a worried face, looked through papers, looked again, glanced over to the nurse, and then took a deep breath, "So, you have tumors..." Before she could finish, I responded, "I knew; I just knew it. I know it's cancer." She asked me if I was OK to drive home. At that moment, I was, but there was a raging battle in my mind throughout the entire drive.
I never in my wildest dreams thought this was what I would be experiencing in my 20s. The physical pain is only half the battle. Your thoughts; you must fight the most when you're told, "You have cancer." I had to reinvent my perspective on life, faith, and the legacy I wanted to leave behind. We must look at these downfalls in living in a way that no one can comprehend unless they've been down this road.
I was lucky that my little brother was diagnosed first. His experience gave me insight into the world I was about to enter. The discovery that tumors overtook my entire left region was devastating but a relief. It took six doctors to finally get my diagnosis, and if it wasn't for my brother, I wouldn't have persistently pushed for real answers.
In 2013, the direction of my life changed. I wasn't prepared for a cancer journey months after my little brother was diagnosed, but sometimes our call changes shape as our gifts evolve or the needs in our midst change. We should be ready to change with it, following the call where it leads next.
I want others to know that they are not alone. That it's OK to have an upbeat attitude during treatments, and it's also OK to temporarily lose yourself amid a traumatic experience. I knew that the rest of my life was going to change. I had to trust that this unexpected and terrifying news led me to become a better version of myself.
Sincerely,
