A Warrior’s Message

Just as I was questioning the path I should take with my photography… in walks Amy Nickels.

On November 4, 2013, at 33 years of age, Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has a loving husband, and 2 children ages 2 and 11, and she has one hell of a positive outlook – an amazing soul. I can’t even begin to tell you how she impacted my thoughts. But, I’ll try.

Amy Nickels – isn’t she beautiful? I fell in love with her dimples, her laughter and sense of humor immediately. But this isn’t how she came to me.

Amy cut her hair when she learned she would be getting chemo treatments in hopes that having less to fall out would help lessen the blow of losing her hair. This is how I met Amy.

I swear her smile is contagious!

While Candace worked her magic with Amy’s hair and make-up we talked. I have always been afraid of saying the wrong thing with sensitive topics but I think Amy made me realize that being real is the best way and only way to express yourself. Over and over again her amazing strength kept shining through. I’ve been told I’m strong, but I’m not so sure after seeing Amy’s battle now. She will argue and tell you she is neither strong nor brave; she has no choice but to fight. But damn it she does have a choice! She has a choice to face it and fight, and that’s just what she’s doing. It’s not easy and I know she is having a tremendous time watching her kids try to grasp the unthinkable possibilities, but she is nothing less than a strong brave warrior in my eyes. As a matter of fact that’s what she told me, “God only gives his greatest warriors the tough shit.”

It was the best feeling to be giving this woman a chance to freeze this moment in time; a memory of her body before the disease forever changes her physically. It meant the world to me to be able to give this to her. But something unexpected came from Amy after the shoot. Her husband emailed me to thank me and tell me she had a whole new happy to her.  She hadn’t stopped smiling since she got home.  Amy also expressed a new sense of her beauty to me.

“I went in self-conscious and afraid that I would look fat and ugly…. I was so afraid that because I am my size 14 that I couldn’t be sexy… I couldn’t have been more wrong… from my sexy hair to amazing make-up to the exact way you had the lighting and poses you made me feel like the sexiest person in the world and the pictures prove it! I am sexy and gorgeous in my own skin and I LOVE my body… I walked away with my head held high and I feel it in my bones I am sexy and YOU gave me that! With everything I am going thru and will go thru I will continue to know I am sexy and I will forever be grateful that I did this for ME!”

“THANK YOU Tara! Seriously God Bless you and me for bringing us TOGETHER! You did something for me that I could never have done myself! I feel beautiful!”

And with those words, my emotional floodgates opened.  This was the answer to my questions. Yes, you get a beautiful experience. Yes, you get fabulous make-up and to die for hair styling.  You get to dress up in killer heels, sexy outfits and be a Goddess for the day.  You also get the beautiful leather album filled with beautiful photographs.  But none of that is even the best part.  The best part is what happens when you leave.  What you don’t even realize is that when you step foot back into the “real world” you take with you a piece of yourself you had forgotten about… or possibly never known existed. In a sense, whatever the avenue may be, I feel like we lose ourselves and THAT is what I am able to give back to you.  That my friend… is some powerful shit!

Thanks for sending Amy to me so I can continue to gift this back to others knowing I’m offering more than just some kick ass photography. And Amy? You are going to beat this shit and be there for your kids for a long time! Always in my prayers!

“let love shine thru and let stupid shit slide; it just doesn’t matter”

~Amy Nickels

 

If you want to help Amy please visit Amy’s Boob Warriors – https://www.facebook.com/amesboobwarriors