Kicking Cancer's Boudie | Orlando Boudoir Session

As many of you probably know by now, I believe that boudoir sessions are not just for women who are living their day to day lives unscathed (which let’s face is…everyone has their battles!). Let me rephrase that, then. It’s not just for the women who you THINK live their lives unscathed. You may look at someone and think “she has it together. Her life must be perfect.” But as we all know, that is rarely the case.

To me, boudoir sessions are about something much, much deeper than that. They are about finding inner peace, falling in love with your body (either again, or for the very first time). They are about feeling bold, feeling beautiful. They are about doing something that you never thought you could do. They are about stepping outside of your comfort zone to find a you that you didn’t even know was there.

Boudoir sessions are for all women. Should I repeat that? Boudoir sessions are for ALL.WOMEN. And let me just add…if you have been through something in life that has turned your world upside down, if you have experienced something you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy, if you have experienced looking at yourself and not knowing what tomorrow will bring…I urge you..no…I BEG you. Do a boudoir session for yourself. FOR YOURSELF.

The Lovely S. did just that. After being diagnosed with cancer at a young age, she has experienced some terrifying moments in her young life. And I am beyond happy to say that she is here to tell us her story. She was also more than happy to allow me to share her photos, AND her story. In fact, her sister had purchased her a boudoir session after having one of herself done a couple of years ago. She knew that after what her sister went through, she deserved some quality “me” time. She deserved to see herself through a light she hadn’t seen in a while, after cancer treatments took her hair and ports left her scarred.

Here is what the Lovely S. had to share:

In April of 2017 I went to ER with what I thought was appendicitis, but they found my appendix to be fine. They did CT scan, an ultrasound, an MRI and a biopsy. My gynecologist sent me to a gynecological oncologist. The first question my oncologist asked me was “what are your fertility goals?” I looked at him and laughed and said “I just got engaged 2 months ago. We are getting married July of 2018.” I had cancer. My oncologist said looking at scans the tumor had ruptured my uterus and was growing outside of it. My worst fear had become my new reality. I have always wanted to carry my own child and I could not wait to see what our child would look like. Would they look like me or like Juan. I bet they would have been a beautiful combination. We will adopt, and we can’t wait to meet our children. On June 20, 2017 I had a total hysterectomy. My tumor was very rare, making me the 22nd documented case of this particular tumor. I started chemotherapy in August, 8 hours a day for 3 days back to back with 19 days between cycles. I did 7 rounds of chemo and 2 months of radiation treatments. I stopped chemo at the end of February due to horrible side effects. Chemo was absolute hell. It was absolutely exhausting, everything was a chore. Eating, showering, working, talking, everything took energy and energy was a precious thing. It took a huge toll on my body. I hated how I looked and how I felt. I hated how people would look at me everywhere I went, I hated how they would stare. I did not feel beautiful. I felt everything but beautiful. I had gone from being a happy excited bride to be with big plans before our wedding to just wanting to make it to the wedding, the wedding was my light at the end of the tunnel. Our reception was such a celebration of life. My sister had gifted me a boudoir shoot as a gift for my future hubby. She suggested that I do it after chemo so I could see how amazing I really was, how strong and beautiful I was. My session with Sivan was amazing!!! I felt beautiful. I finally was able to see the brave, strong woman I am. I love my pictures, I even made sure to take some with my port scar in it. My boudour session made me fall in love with my amazing body. If you haven’t done a session I highly encourage you to do one. Do this for yourself, I promise you will not regret it!!

HAMU: Kristy's Artistry Design Team

All images shown by Lovely in Lace have received signed permission from Client for use. We are so thankful to be able to share their beautiful images with you!