All Aboard

Judie joined us for Train Day last Wednesday at the NC Transportation Museum. As you know, Judie's story is "All Aboard!" She sees life as a train station and her Great Conductor will decide which track for her to be on. To Judie, her suitcases represent taking hope, faith, and perserverance along with her on her voyages.

Needless to say, the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC was the PERFECT location for Judie's portrait!

Facebook Party AKA Girls Night Out

Admit it! Most of us have one picture that we like of ourselves and it's been our facebook profile picture for the last year. Well, here's your chance to get a new one that you'll love for the next year!

But it's not just about the profile picture! We're turning this into a Girls' Night Out! We'll have ladies here doing hair, makeup, paraffin dips, and neck messages. And we'll have ladies selling purses, jewelry and bras! We'll also have some food and refreshments! What more could a girl ask for??

And the best part is.... you get your new facebook look for only $15. All the money we collect during this Girls Night Out will go towards our 2009 Focused on a Cure Breast Cancer Survivor Campaign! This is a wonderful cause and we hope you'll help us support something we're passionate about.

Here are a few FAQs we've received so far...

Can I bring my kids or my husband with me?
Sure you can! If you want them in your profile picture, bring them!

Do I need an appointment?
Nope! You can drop in whatever time is best for you between 5 and 8pm on Friday. Don't wait too late though. You don't want to miss out on the complimentary hairdo, nail treatment, make up and neck massage!

Hope to see you there!

2008 Survivor Video

Focused on a Cure now has it's own YouTube channel. We hope to post videos from our survivor sessions and our annual survivor video. You can find us by searching for "IPSurvivors."

At our Survivor party last year, we played a video that we put together of excerpts from our survivors' stories. It became a very emotional video, displaying each woman's portrait with her impactful words. We wanted to share it with you. It's our first video on our channel. We hope you'll enjoy it! Click here to view the video.

Rita Sutton

During last week's casting call, Renda and Tara had the opportunity to photograph Rita Sutton. She is currently battling breast cancer and wanted to document this time in her life.



The following is Rita's story:

I was diagnosed with breast cancer on September 5th, 2008, and the world as I knew it changed forever. I have always been a carefree, fun-loving girl who looked at the world with a glowing sense of optimism. When you receive such a blow, it takes some time to get your hands around the process. During such times, fear can easily replace hope. But with the help of a loving, supportive husband and daughter, great family and friends, the sun is shining again - especially on the inside.



I have learned to ask new questions. Specifically, how do I interject fun into every aspect of my already meaningful life? I only need to look a few feet in front or to the sides of me. This is where I can find those I love the most - my family. Our close, tight-knit unit has now been woven into one of my husband's famous apple pies. Life is sweet. -Rita Sutton



Thanks, Rita, for sharing your story with us. We hope it will inspire other women battling breast cancer to stay optimistic!

Hopes for 2009

We were impressed with how well our first year of Focused on a Cure went. We never imagined that our exhibit would travel to different locations for 15 weeks! We had a total of seven survivors and we made an incredible bond with each of them. 

But we've raised our goals. We hope for MORE in 2009! We're looking for 15 new survivors - of all ages and races! And this year, we hope to have a opening event to unveil the exhibit.

Now we need your help! If you're a survivor or know a survivor, tell them about Focused on a Cure. Direct them to our website and blog. Tell them to call us or email us at Renda@irresistibleportraits.com. 

It's therapeutic to talk about what you've been through and to tell your story. And why not inspire someone else? Telling how you made it through your battle with breast cancer can give hope to someone currently going through the same battle.

We look forward to hearing from you and spreading more awareness!

Divina Cook

Last week, we had the honor of photographing Divina Cook, a breast cancer survivor. She was full of positive energy and has such a great outlook on her situation.

Divina said she always knew she was strong, but never realized how strong until she was diagnosed with cancer. "I have not shed a tear and I found myself handling the news with humor. With each misadventure, I'd turn to my husband, laugh and say, 'And the laughs just keep coming.'"

When Divina's hair started to come out by the hand full, her daughter had a party while she shaved her mother's head. "First she shaved down the middle and said I looked like the comic Gallagher. We did comb overs like balding men. We laughed so much I was peeing my pants."

Divina brought all her wigs with her to the portrait session. So... we had some fun!

Thank you, Divina, for sharing your story. Your positive outlook brightens the room! Thanks for letting us goof around too! We had a great time!

2008

The Avon Foundation recently sent us a letter expressing their gratitude for our participation in the 2008 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Charlotte. Here's some info we thought you'd find interesting:

The Avon Walk series last year - held nationwide in nine U.S. cities - was the most successful in the event's history, having raised more than $56 million in donations! 

Local beneficiaries of the 2008 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Charlotte include:

*North Carolina Baptist Hospital (Winston-Salem, NC) received $375,000 to support a community outreach and patient navigation services program that expands the Avon Foundation safety net to Winston-Salem. Navigators will work to reduce disparities in breast care among the African-American community by expanding the current program to include more patients from the surrounding rural counties.

*Presbyterian Hospital (Charlotte, NC) received $300,000 to support its community outreach and patient navigation program to improve access to screening, diagnostics, and treatment to underserved populations in underserved populations in Charlotte, NC, Mecklenburg County and eleven surrounding counties.

*Carolinas Medical Center (Charlotte, NC) received $275,000 to support the Mecklenburg County Breast Care Management program that provides outreach and patient navigation services to medically underserved women in Charlotte. The staff coordinated screening and care through the Carolinas Hospital, the Blumenthal Cancer Center, and the Myers Park Clinic.

*Health Research Alliance (Research Triangle Park, NC) received $95,000 to support the development of a web-based grants database that will contain pooled grant information of nonprofit agencies. This award is a key outcome of the Avon-led collaboration between Avon and other foundations.

Funds raised by the Avon Walk Charlotte also support national programs:

*Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund was awarded $7,000,000 to be disbursed as grants to 145 non-profit Community Based Organizations across the country - with at least one in every state - for education and outreach programs. These programs will collectively navigate 150,000 women next year into mammography screening and will educate 500,000 others on breast health and the importance of early detection.

*Cancer Care (New York, NY) was awarded $1,500,000 to continue AvonCares - a financial assistance program that provides cash for low-income women facing breast cancer. The cash assistance can be used to pay for gas to get to a doctors appointment, or for child care or elder care. The program which launched in 2000, has already assisted 39,000 women who have received approximately $250 each, for a total of $9,750,000.

*Love/Avon Army of Women was created with a $1,200,000 award to recruit 1-million women around the country to participate in studies to understand the causes of breast cancer and how to prevent the disease. All women should learn more by visiting www.armyofwomen.org.

We hope you found this info as inspiring as we did!