Breast cancer scars and survivors depicted at art exhibit
A new art exhibition in St. John's features women baring their chests and showing their scars, to depict their personal journeys through breast cancer.
The walls of the Leyton Art Gallery in downtown St. John's are lined with large photographs of bare-chested women for the One out of Nine art show.
The women in the photos wanted people to know that breast cancer is more than just a pink ribbon.
Sondria Browne brought the women together to show that breast cancer can be beautiful.
"I don't identify myself by my breasts, but I certainly feel like a woman because I have breasts," said Browne.
"So, when it was taken away, I was lost. And I did find pictures of women who had used photography to show what they looked like, and they were beautiful and I thought, 'I want to feel beautiful too,' so I asked Malin to take my picture."
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Photographer Malin Enstrom said although she's just captured one frame in these women's lives, they have taught her lessons that will last forever.
"How amazingly brave they are, while going through all of this, and going through treatments and having their body change so immensely ... and still they took their time to stop and say 'let's turn this into something beautiful.' It's very inspiring," Enstrom said.
It was myself and my daughter, and she didn't make it- Elizabeth Fogwell
"It's been an amazing experience meeting these 12 brave Newfoundland women. I didn't know what breast cancer looked like, honestly, before I met them. It's been a very beautiful experience."
Elizabeth Fogwell, whose photograph is featured in the exhibition, lost her daughter to breast cancer.
"It was myself and my daughter, and she didn't make it," Fogwell said.
"That was really hard. But, you put your faith in god and you get through it."
Fogwell said her scars remind her of the pain but they also give her strength.
"There is life after breast cancer. We're living proof of it. It's a hard road, but you get through it."
The photographs will be on display at the Leyton Art Gallery until Nov.10.