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Coming together for a greater purpose

BayCare Clinic, RP Photography partner to highlight local breast cancer patients

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September 20, 2023

GREEN BAY – For many cancer patients, like Korissa Diehl – a breast cancer patient herself – the majority of treatment is “ugly.”

So, when two local businesses – RP Photography (2485 Bluestone Place) and Aurora BayCare – teamed up for a Faces of Breast Cancer photo – Diehl said it brings a sense of “empowerment” and “hope.”

“When you go through cancer, I mean, it’s ugly,” she said. “You lose your hair, you go through treatment, you’re not feeling good, you’re sick – and then all of a sudden, you get to come to an event like this and get pampered a little bit, and they do your hair and makeup… and it shows a little bit of beauty in all of the ugly you go through.”

Rachael Phillips, owner of RP Photography, said she had already been thinking about doing breast cancer survivor portraits for about a year when she turned 40 and was due for her first mammogram.

“I’m a curious person,” she said. “I started googling mammograms, which led to pictures of breast cancer survivors and portraits. And I was quite stunned by what I saw, honestly – the raw scars and what is left from breast cancer.”

A collaboration meant to happen
Around the same time, Jessica Winkel, the business development manager for general and vascular surgery, breast services at BayCare Clinic, said she happened to run into Phillips at a networking event.

There, Winkel said she had talked about Brown County’s statistics around breast cancer, and why it’s important for people to do self-checks and get their mammograms.

“Rachael was going in for her mammogram that day,” she said. “We started talking, and she said, ‘I’ve always wanted to do something with breast cancer patients.’ I said, ‘I work for the breast cancer team – let’s connect.’”

Winkel said she, Phillips and Kristin Cherney, the high-risk breast program coordinator at BayCare Clinic, got together and the Faces of Breast Cancer campaign was born.

Her role with BayCare Clinic, Winkel said, deals a lot with community engagement, which made the collaboration with Phillips an easy decision.

“We know the importance of supporting what our patients go through on their journeys,” she said. “We want to be there to show them we support and care about them.”

Cherney echoed Winkel’s sentiment, and said spreading breast cancer awareness is “extremely important.”

“We were extremely fortunate Rachael decided to help us,” she said. “It’s our first time ever doing this, so it’s exciting to spread that awareness.”

The experience
When Phillips sent out the call for 10 breast cancer patients and survivors, she said the spots filled quickly – so much so that she received double the amount of patients the call asked for.

There is already a waitlist for next year, she said.

Each woman, Phillips said, receives a complimentary photo session – complete with a makeover which includes hair and makeup.

While the women get ready, Phillips interviews each of them to learn about their unique breast cancer journey.

Once completed, each patient will receive a free printed photo from the session, which will also be available for viewing on the RP Photography website (rpphotographywi.com) and social media accounts throughout the month of October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month – to help spread awareness. 

Both Phillips and Cherney said in addition to the experience and printed photos they receive, she hopes all 10 participants walk away feeling “extremely beautiful” and “accepting of their bodies.”

“This is a great opportunity for them to express their fears, their celebrations and what they’ve overcome,” Phillips said. 

Throughout the interviewing and photographing process, Phillips said the experience has “opened my eyes.”

“(There was a) lady who did tear up a lot talking about her children and such,” she said. “So, it’s definitely been emotional… (it has) honestly made me more empathetic.”

Photographing the women is an experience Phillips said she doesn’t take lightly, either.

Rachael Phillips

“Throughout the photoshoots with these women, I’ve been shy about it because they are showing me scars and their bodies – I love they are confident and comfortable with me,” she said. “I appreciate them opening up to me like that.” 

Diehl said having the opportunity where she and other breast cancer patients can share their stories, and having a strong medical team, are important pieces in bringing more awareness to breast cancer.

“It’s an amazing event,” she said. “I think cancer patients are the strongest people I will ever know… so I’m incredibly thankful to be here.”

A growing partnership
Winkel said Aurora BayCare and RP Photography are already planning for next year’s event “because of the success of it,” so much so they already have plans on how to expand the event – and potentially branch out to work with other businesses.

“Our plans for expansion next year is offering businesses an opportunity to sponsor breast cancer patients,” she said. “So, if you have a loved one, a family member, a friend or a coworker, we’re going to allow you to sponsor somebody next year, so we can help more breast cancer patients come in and have that moment to feel beautiful and empowered.”

Cherney said she hopes the event keeps growing.

“The more the better,” she said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to spread awareness and keep these women feeling extremely beautiful.” 

Partnering with RP Photography, Winkel said, also helps to bring awareness of the help and care breast cancer patients can receive from Aurora BayCare.

“We’re proud of our breast cancer program at Aurora BayCare Center,” she said. “One of the main reasons is our surgeon, Dr. Natalie Luehmann, who is the only fellowship-trained breast cancer surgeon in Brown County. She graduated from medical school and then decided to take another year and a half (to) study about breast cancer and breast cancer patients – what is the need for care and how can she best help them with their care on their journey?”

As for RP Photography, Phillips said working with Aurora BayCare helped move the project along more swiftly.

“When I first met them, they loved the idea,” she said. “We talked about funding to pay for my hair and makeup artists, and they approved that funding flawlessly. It’s been a nice, easy experience.”

The overall impact of bringing RP Photography and Aurora BayCare together to support breast cancer survivors and patients within the community, Phillips said, is a perfect example of why it’s important for local businesses to collaborate.

“It’s great (for the women) to be recognized,” she said. “Obviously, breast cancer fundraising events are big… It’s one more way we can highlight breast cancer awareness in Green Bay.”

To learn more about Faces of Breast Cancer, head to rpphotographywi.com/faces-of-breast-cancer.

TBN
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