I first knew Randee as a friend of a friend. She lives in the same area, we follow each other on social media and have a few overlapping circles. Four years back Randee went through the unthinkable: she was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage 3C Ovarian cancer and underwent a battle that included a chemo/surgery/double masectomy battle. She shared her journey very publicly and wore her heart on her sleeve in the most vulnerable ways. As an outsider looking in, it was raw process, guttural, full of pain and also breathtakingly beautiful. I remember reading many of her posts and feeling the wide gamut of every emotion. And reading through the comments, I wasn’t the only one that was impacted.
There is something magical that happens when people are real. They connect. They inspire. They motivate. Randee’s willingness to share her journey resonated with so many. We felt her pain, her fear, her panic, especially as a mother with young children. We also saw her resolve and faith and learned many lessons through her like: to not take life for granted, to live with abandon, to love relentlessly.
Randee fought for her life and she overcame cancer. Her example and advice has comforted, inspired and protected so many more people that she probably even realizes. So as you can imagine, I was all-in the moment she approached me to photograph a meaningful session to capture her spirit. The butterflies were her inspiration and meant to represent the transformation she went through after a double masectomy to prevent reoccurance. The dress is teal, the color for Ovarian Cancer. She decided to publicly offer the dress to other cancer previvors and survivors to have their own sessions of hope. The last I heard it was in route to a woman in Australia.
Life is beautiful. And it’s made beautiful by people like Randee.
