RESILIENCE BLOOMING • Using Textile Fibers To Raise Awareness about Breast Cancer
RESILIENCE BLOOMING is the powerful title I got suggested to use to name my Breast Cancer Awareness project.
First of all, let’s analyse the definition of these two words:
RESILIENCE: “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.”
BLOOMING: “come into or be in full beauty or health; flourish.”
It appears obvious why I choose this title: I have seen impressive and inspiring resilience in women fighting or having survived a life-threatening illness, as well as in women who, unfortunately, couldn't be healed from that demon.
My crochet and embroidery project wants to be considered as a tribute to all those warriors out there, who are able to keep going in hard times, bounce back from challenges, and adapt to changing and difficult circumstances.
You might or might not know that breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in women and the second most common cancer overall.
Among breast cancer survivors, a high number of women got their breasts removed or modified.
Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) removes cancer while leaving as much normal breast as possible.
Breast-conserving surgery is sometimes called lumpectomy, quadrantectomy, partial mastectomy, or segmental mastectomy depending on how much tissue is removed.
Mastectomy is a breast cancer surgery that removes the entire breast.
There are several different types of mastectomies, based on how the surgery is done and how much tissue is removed.
During a total mastectomy, the entire breast including the nipple, areola, and skin is removed.
When both breasts are removed, it is called a double (or bilateral) mastectomy.
The skin-sparing mastectomy is almost identical to a total mastectomy but most of the skin over the breast is left intact, offering the advantage of less scar tissue.
During a nipple-sparing mastectomy, the breast tissue is removed but the breast skin and nipples are left in place. This can be followed by breast reconstruction.
“Once I overcame breast cancer, I wasn’t afraid of anything anymore.”
Melissa Etheridge
Dealing with such a sensitive topic was easier thanks to incredible artists who have previously addressed the issue through their art.
Artists like @sophiemayanne, a talented photographer whose stunning portraits of women who have undergone breast surgery in her @behindthescars_ project touched me so much.
Or @personal.ink , a platform that connects breast cancer survivors with tattoo artists who can help them rebuild a healthy relationship with their bodies, offering mastectomy scar cover up tattoos, areola pigmentation, and more.
Tattoo artists like David Allen, who reinvents scars tattooing blooms and lush florals, celebrating the strength and beauty of cancer survivors.
In the fiber community, a huge shout-out goes to @knittedknockers , a non-profit organization that provides wonderful free crochet or knit breast prostheses for breast cancer survivors.
Thanks to @cassiearnoldfiberart a phenomenal artist who made me believe It was possible to treat this subject through fibers.
My design reached more than 18.000 people on Instagram, and I couldn’t be happier!
This is a truly joyful moment, a step forward in the right direction.
THANK YOU for raising awareness with me, uplifting one another, therefore celebrating body positivity and promoting empathy!
