In the May edition of Strictly Business, we told you Mindy VonWeihe’s story and how, after battling breast cancer, she found renewed strength and purpose in life and was able to help capture this feeling with a photo session with Tammy Muecke and Bare Boudoir Studio.  Tammy and Mindy were both so empowered by this session that Tammy embarked on a new project to help other women cancer survivors recapture their beauty and strength through photo sessions. Mindy was anxious to help others by walking them through the process and even being there at the photo sessions to offer support and encouragement. Shortly after her session, she brought a friend, Missi Rowe in for a session with Tammy.

Missi had just turned 40 when she saw her doctor about a cough that would not go away.  Thinking she might be getting pneumonia, Missi was shocked when they found a mass in her chest that turned out to be Diffuse Large B Cell non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Missi was scared, but she was also mad and she knew she was going to fight. She made up her mind that she would win the battle and went through six rounds of chemotherapy. During her treatments, her family was by her side the entire time and were her biggest fans. They gave her the strength she needed to not only make it through treatments, but also to make it to work most days, lead a normal life and never quit being a mom or a fighter. She never said “Why me?”  “Really, what made me different than the next person to get a diagnosis?” she says. “I started to think “Why not me?” and fought with everything I had.”

Missi began to look at life as a new beginning and came up with her personal motto of “Never Give Up”. Things weren’t always easy, but attitude made all the difference for Missi. She tried to stay positive and know that there would always be a tomorrow that would be better.  She had her last treatment in December of 2012 and her last PetScan in May of 2014.  She is proud to say she has won the battle and will see her teenage son play ball, go to high school and graduate and become whatever he wants. “I can do this because I chose to fight,” Missi says, “to be a warrior against my cancer and to NEVER GIVE UP.”

When Tammy, Mindy and Missi got together to talk about Missi’s session, they decided to emphasize her warrior attitude in her photos.  The resulting images showed her as a powerful fighter and embodied her motto of ‘Never Give Up’. “Although I was hesitant at first to do the photo shoot because I don’t like being in front of the camera, I knew it was for a good cause and now I’m so glad I did it.  Mindy was with me at the shoot and Tammy was wonderful: professional, friendly and full of ideas.  We had so much fun and just eased through the shoot. I am pleased beyond words with the pictures Tammy took as well as the overall experience. I am looking forward to seeing the vision as it continues to grow into reality.”

For more information on Tammy Muecke’s project, please call (402) 934-7983 or visit www.facebook.com/pages/Tammy-Muecke-Photography/10288316041 or bareboudoirstudio.net.