The local breast cancer group, 412 Thrive, is holding its second annual Casino Night fundraiser in April. Held at Acrisure Stadium (which locals will always call Heinz Field), it has dancing, silent and live auctions, and casino games (without money or prizes), and a Casino Night Gallery. 

As the website says, “The images…showcase each woman’s beauty. They were all given the opportunity to be photographed in a vision they have always wanted to bring to life. From couture gowns to gold makeup, we wanted to allow each woman to experience their inner and outer beauty during their journey with breast cancer… Behind each portrait, you can read their story and see images of their scars from the battles they have or are experiencing. These images are intentionally made smaller as a reminder that you do not see their daily experiences. This gallery is here to help you understand and see what it is like to be on a journey with breast cancer. Each story is unique, and each person is all the more beautiful for undergoing this journey.”

If you visit the embedded link above, you can see some of the photos from last year. There’s also a video. The woman with the gold crown is Sam, who founded 412 Thrive and is the executive director. The woman in the beige shirt is Tica, who has since passed away. The woman with the cane is Cara, the president of Thrive, who has metastatic breast cancer.

An email was sent in early January inviting people to apply to be part of this year’s gallery. The application included sharing your photo concept. 

I figured, what the hell, why not apply and use my deafness to my advantage? I wrote about how difficult it was to be deaf during treatment, especially during COVID when masks were required and I couldn’t read lips. I suggested showing my cochlear implant and hearing aid in photos, and doing something with clear masks. 

Requirements included being available for 3-4 hours on February 3rd or 4th for the photo session and having a short consultation call with the photographer, videographer, and makeup artist (who are wonderful supporters of Thrive; they came to the first wellness retreat last year to capture it on film, and Dominique, the photographer, offers her studio for support groups, etc). We also had to be comfortable showing our scars.

Eight people were chosen; I was one of them! 

It looks like last year they had a stylist as part of the team. This year Domninique, the photographer, helped out. I probably drove her crazy as we shared links back and forth trying to come up with an outfit. I knew I wanted something blue, because it’s my favorite color and brings out my blue eyes. It also had to be something editorial. I ended up with a navy tulle skirt and off the shoulder top.

We were told that Thrive is gifting us three photos from the shoot, one of which is going in the Photo Gallery at Casino Night. We also get two VIP tickets for the event. Very nice!

My shoot was yesterday; I was first up. Photo and video (by Denzel (whose video production company is 2U Visuals) were taken of my scars and of me in makeup and the fancy outfit. We did something cool with the clear mask; that photo will be in the Photo Gallery so I can’t talk about it until after it’s unveiled. Denzel also had each of us answer a few audio-only questions for the video. 

The two women who followed me had amazing concepts. I can only imagine what the others did! It was a fun experience. You can bet I took advantage of being made up (my first time wearing fake eyelashes!) and told Aaron we were going out for dinner. Those of you who know me know that I only wear lipstick and on rare occasions, mascara.

When I was telling him about my day, he said, “I can tell your hair was done by a professional.” Nope. ‘twas I!! Danielle, the hair and makeup artist didn’t even touch my hair!

I didn’t go to the Casino Night last year, but found some pictures on Facebook. Blown up photos from the shoot were hung throughout the event. Eek! I’m nervous to see the video as well. 

If you want to see a preview, check out 412Thrive on Instagram. They started posting to their Stories after my session (thankfully, haha). *This only applies less than 24 hours after this post; if you’re reading this later, it’s already gone!

Ultimately, I hope by participating in this, it will help educate others about my unique journey. 

Since I’m posting this today, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that February 4 is World Cancer Day. This year’s theme is “Close the Care Gap: Everyone Deserves Access to Cancer Care.” The website says, “We call on governments around the world to promote health equity, enhance cancer service accessibility, reduce disparities in cancer incidence and mortality, to finally close the care gap. I was lucky enough to get the care I needed and quickly. Not everyone is able to. We need to change that!