Modish Stills 2017 Breast Cancer Awareness Shoot

The message here is clear and simple. We want to bring awareness through imagery and also remind women to get their annual check up if they haven't already. All of the females pictured felt passionate enough about this deadly killer to donate their time to participate in this shoot. These women come from all walks of life, different ethnicities and different ages. But what they have in common is this deadly killer does not discriminate and it can rear its ugly head in any one of these women. Reasons varied why these women participated in the shoot. Some have lost love ones to this deadly disease and others just wanted to show support. No matter what their reasoning was I hope through photography we can start the conversation about early detection and woman having their yearly mammogram. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. It can detect breast cancer up to two years before the tumor can be felt by you or your doctor. Women at high risk should have yearly mammograms along with an MRI starting at age 30. About 1 in 8 U.S. Women - 12% - will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. A women's risk of breast cancer nearly doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. And to my African-American sisters be aware of that  a new report from the American Cancer Society finds that breast cancer rates among African-American women in the United States are increasing. For decades, African-American women had been getting breast cancer at a slower rate than white women, but that gap is now closing. Even though black women have historically had lower incidence rates than white women, death rates among black women have historically been higher, and that has continued. In fact, the black-white disparity in breast cancer death rates has increased over time; by 2014, death rates were 42% higher in black women than white women. All women need to take heed and especially if you have a family history of this deadly disease. And if you haven't already make an appointment with your doctor to be screened. I hope you enjoy the images of my 2017 Breast Cancer Awareness  Portfolio. And I hope that my message resonates with you all. All praises to the survivors and a time of reflection to those who've past on. Until next year, God Bless