Recently I took pictures for Geetha and her lovely family. This was not just a typical shoot it was one that signified victory, unity, and love. Geetha is a breast cancer survivor and her family got together to celebrate her 5th year anniversary. It was such a fun, happy, and love filled session. Below is a short story about Geetha & her family and off course my favorite pics from the session. Enjoy!
On the weekend of October 23, 2009, my family converged on Atlanta from all over the country to surprise me in a weekend of unbridled celebration! Was it a birthday? Of sorts you could say… You see, around this time, five years ago, i was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 27. Yet, I consider the date I was given that devastating cancer diagnosis to be my de facto BIRTH-day. Ironically, it was the experience of being ravaged by and fighting a life threatening illness that actually taught me how to live, love, value, and appreciate the countless blessings I have been given …I understood in a way I had never before, and that allows me to live more fully than I could have ever imagined. So it became my birthday, the first day of the rest of my amazing life. And through it all, there was my ever-loving, ever-devoted family…my very own cheering squad,and army, ready to do battle with me. As they always have, they loved me, supported me, encouraged me, made me laugh, made me feel strong, let me cry, yet never let me lose sight of God’s blessings. The loss and struggle that came with the cancer experience were transformative experiences not only for me as the patient, but also for my family. It is a profound shared life experience, impacting each of us in different ways, and has become an extraordinary chapter in the story of our family.
5 years later, we are triumphant! I love these pictures commemorating our reunion weekend because they capture so many milestones….so very many incredible things that our family has to celebrate that have happened in the last 5 years:
– All the girls Pretty in Pink for me (Geetha) kicking breast cancer’s butt!!!!
– I met Harry, the man of my dreams last year,…and got a “Spider-Man” kiss from him!
-The birth of my cousin Lakshmi and Jai’s amazing daughter Leena…and getting to play a rousing game of “Duck, Duck, Juice” with her!
– Welcome soon-to-be mommy and daddy Uma and James and their son! (see Uma’s belly bump =)
– Newlyweds Hari and Sheila (and gaining another loving sister!)
– And my incredible little sister Sheila who is rocking grad school and passed her Boards…and who continues to teach me, her big sis, about life.
Our reunion weekend was a celebration not only of each of us individually…but more importantly, a celebration of our family and the amazing qualities we share together:
We find strength and support in each other
We love each other unconditionally.
We stand by one another
We each love our niece (and future nephew!) as our very own children
We are each others’ biggest fans
We revel in laughter
We celebrate life exuberantly
We are fiercely devoted to each other
We know family is a Divine gift, and we cherish each other.
http://fotosbyfola.blogspot.com/2009/11/geetha-family.html
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