Meet face 27....Kori

I have an old (not that we are old) high school friend who is currently fighting cancer.   Watching her posts on facebook and seeing how strong she is, made me want to do something.  Show the world that even when you are fighting everyday with chemo and the emotional toll it has on you, you are still the same beautiful person and always will be.

 

Since I could not do this for my friend, I posted a little note about it on my facebook page.  I said  wanted to photograph and tell the story of a woman fighting cancer and show that even with chemo and all it does to your body while it fights the cancer you are still beautiful.  Cancer doesn't define who you are, how you fight does.

 

With that said above........ I had the honor to meet Kori last week.   Here is her story:

 

 

 

  My husband I and had just been married the August before I got diagnosed in December and had been planning to have a family.  When I started to get a sharp pain in my stomach I thought I had appendicitis and all the doctors I spoke to thought I had a large cyst, no one thought I had cancer as a healthy 27 year old.  I scheduled a surgery for mid December to remove the large 'cyst' and my husband and I vowed to start our family after my recovery.  The morning I came out of surgery I knew something was not right; I finally asked the first team of doctors I saw the and was informed that I had stage three ovarian cancer and I would need to have a second surgery to have a full hysterectomy and potentially remove part of my colon.  I don't remember my first thought but what I do remember are the feelings.  I had a feeling of grief, literal heartache, and complete devastation knowing that my husband and I would not be able to have our own children.  From that moment forward, my definition of what my family would look like changed.  My husband was an incredible support to me at this time, knowing that I was not in this alone.  Both of our parents helped to emotionally support the two of us and were there for us every step of the way.  

 

   Not only did my definition of what my family would look like change but my view on life and what was important to me had significantly changed; I would no longer take special moments with my friends and family for granted and my views on what beauty is changed from hair and makeup to heart and character.  

A couple weeks into my chemo I attended a Look Good, Feel Better program held by the ACS and met a wonderful friend who was in a similar situation as I was with nearly the same time frame.  Connecting with someone who was going through the same things helped me tremendously.  She is such a special person and I am so lucky to have her in my life. Also, having a wonderful and caring infusion nurse and care team helped get me through my weekly treatments.  The chemo made my skin incredibly dry and the steroids made me break out a lot on my neck and back so I started to use coconut oil before I went to bed each night and my skin was like new after a couple days; I even think it helped my hair to start growing again!  

 

Every day I try to remind myself how fortunate I am to have such supportive friends and family and that my situation could be in a worse; everyday there is someone in this world fighting the good fight for their lives.  Life is beautiful and I am so grateful that I am able to continue to enjoy every day of mine with the people I love.

 

Thank you so much Kori for being part of my project and for telling your story.  I hope  with this post you get help others who are struggling with the emotional ups and downs that cancer can bring.

 

 

 

 

Meet face 26........

I really love this town that I live in now.  There are so many activities going on every month.  This month the Joshua Hyde Library had a guest at the town common for the kids (and adults too, I loved it).  The guest was Two-time Freestyle Frisbee Champion, Todd Brodeur!   My kids loved it even my 12 year old son, who first thought it was just for little kids and stood next to a tree for the first 2 minutes before he realized it wasn't just for kids.

 I didn't get to ask him all my fun questions because I didn't want to take away any time that he was spending with the kids who all had millions of questions for him.  I did email him to see if he could answer a few questions for my project.  I hope to be updating this soon!

 If you want to find out about him visit his website http://www.toddbrodeur.com/ . 

So here he is face 26.............. Todd Brodeur. 

UPDATE!!!

What is the hardest Frisbee trick/move? They say the hardest Frisbee trick once you start playing and have been bitten by the bug, is to put the Frisbee down. I believe the sky is the limit, the hardest trick or move has not been invented yet. There are thousands of combinations of moves that have been done and new ways to combind them are always being thought up and attempted.



Do you have a favorite Frisbee? I do not have one favorite Frisbee. I like them all, as long as they fly well. I really like old Frisbees that have character. Ones with many srcatches and are well used. Every old Frisbee has a story, and has flown many thousands and sometimes millians of miles.



What is one thing that you would like to share about Frisbee tricks/moves that would help someone with no Frisbee skills (like me)? The one thing anyone can do to get better is get out and throw. The original instructions on the back of an old Frisbee say "Play catch, invent games. Flat flip flies straight, experiment." That is it in a nutshell, snap your wrist to put some good spin on it, use your imagination and have fun.

meet Gloria face 25.....

While visiting Old Sturbridge Village, in Sturbridge, Massachusetts we met a wonderful lady named Gloria in the Asa Knight Store.  Gloria, who has worked at OSV for 10 years, is one of the costumed historians.  She taught us a lot about what people would buy at a general store in the 1830's.

 When she found out my daughter was 4 year old she pointed out a tiny thimble and told us that back in the 1830's women would teach their 4 year old daughters how to sew.  This way by the time they reached 11 they would be mending torn clothing and making their own clothing.   She showed us all the hats that where in fashion back then and told us how they decorated the ladies hats with ribbons and flowers.  Gloria also pointed out pocket knifes and informed us that the men would teach their sons how to widdle wood into things like clothes pins.

 I asked her if she always works in the Asa Knight Store, since my kids and I make a visit every month to OSV I thought we would stop by and say hi to her in there again, but she said they are trained to work in all the buildings.

Thank you so much Gloria for sharing your wonderful knowledge on the 1830's and letting me use your photo and a bit about you for my 100 faces project.

Meet face 24!

face24, originally uploaded by Olivia Williams Photography.

Never knew how different it would be to move to Massachusetts. I found out shortly after moving here that you can't just run into a Walmart or a Grocery store and get beer or liquor. You have to get it at either a gas station or a liquor store.
So lucky me I found New England's Largest Liquor store right down the road, Yankee Spirits! This is where I met face # 24 , my first New England face! Her name is Annette and she moved to Massachusetts from New Hampshire during the summer. She started working at the liquor store in November(the same time my family moved here). I didn't ask her as much as I should have, but I have to get back into the flow of asking questions for this. I did find out that she misses New Hampshire. Oh and the best part....she asked to see my ID.

Mr. Mugoo himself.....face 22

face22, originally uploaded by Olivia Williams Photography.

Meet Mr. Mugoo himself, aka Frank. After years and years of working as a cook at other restaurants and not getting anywhere in the companies, he decided to opened up his own restaurant. He has 3 boys, who nicked named him Mugoo. 5 years ago he opened his own restaurant and used the nick name his kids gave him as the name of the restaurant. I asked him if there was something that people would be surprised to know about it, it turns out he is a creative writer.

Thank you Mr. Mugoo for taking the time for my 100 faces project.

Mugoo's Diner
16103 US Highway 19, Hudson, FL 34667
Phone:(727) 863-0486

Meet Kim, Face 21

face21, originally uploaded by Olivia Williams Photography.

Kim has been working in the restaurant business for 8 years with 5 of those years at Mugoos. Before the restaurant life she was a manager at an apartment complex for 10 years. She moved from New York to Florida 14 years ago. She said the one odd thing about her is if you just look at her you wouldn't know she was good with kids, she has 3 of her own.


Thank you so much Kim for being part of my 100 faces project.

Meet Becky....Face 20

face20, originally uploaded by Olivia Williams Photography.

It was Mother's Day when I met Becky, naturally I asked her if she was a Mom. Becky has two kids ages 24 and 26. I hope she didn't work too hard on Mother's Day. She has been working in the restaurant business for 25 years, with 4 of those years at Mugoos. Moved from Northern New York to Florida 6 years ago, Becky is also a Medical assistant and a phlebotomist. One odd thing that others might not know about Becky is she is a quilter.

Thank you Becky for letting me take your photo and for answering my questions for my 100 faces project.