Dori Fights Like a WOMAN

Hello faithful blog fans, 


I am taking this opportunity to introduce the "other" brain behind Mike Meyerdirk Photography.  I am his business partner, his photography assistant, his financial adviser, his personal shopper, his task master, and his biggest fan... you guessed it, I'm his wife.  You may remember seeing me in previous posts, as I occasionally serve as Mike's loveliest model... this is me:

This particular post is special to me because it involves a dear friend.  Dori Greenaway is an astonishing woman currently confronting the unthinkable: a battle with stage three breast cancer.  I should qualify that statement: she is not only "confronting," she is squashing, trampling, embracing, living, glowing, mastering, fighting, and well, she's kicking cancer's butt.


To get the full force of the pictures Mike took this weekend, allow me to provide a brief background.  Dori is one of those strong, loving, successful, and beautiful people that we all strive to be like.  She is brilliant and bold.  She says what she thinks, and fights for those who find it difficult to fight for themselves.  Professionally, she is a therapist, educator, and advocate for women's health.  She is a vibrant 26 year old woman.  And she was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma two months ago.  Her doctors quickly began an aggressive treatment plan that began with a double mastectomy.  As soon as she had recovered from surgery, she began chemo.  After only one round, her hair began falling out in clumps.  And that's where Mike comes in!


They say, "Nobody trips over mountains.  It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble.  Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain."  In Dori's case, she must pass BOULDERS in order to cross the mountain, but you better believe, she is leaping over those boulders.  One such battle entangled in this war is loosing her hair.  For obvious reasons, this can be a somewhat unpleasant experience...  However, Dori managed to turn it into a party!  She fondly referred to it as her "Buzz Brunch" and enjoyed mimosas and bagels with her sisters and her husband.  She even made a cake!  (Which she insisted on finishing before she took herself to the ER the night before for a blood clot scare).  There was no chance for this "hair loss" business to call the shots.  Dori claimed the experience as her own and made the best of it.


Mike and I tagged along to document the event!  Here are some of our favorite shots.  Please take a look at Dori's blog; it's an amazing, soulful, honest portrayal of her thoughts and emotions as she walks, skips, crawls, and is carried by those around her, down this path.

http://lumpsandlipstick.blogspot.com

Meet Dori and her equally awesome sisters, Kristi and Kerri.

"Helping one another is part of the religion of sisterhood." 

- Louisa May Alcott 

Meet TEAM DORI!

Kerri rockin' the
"Donate 2 Dori" hat

Kristi taking some
warmup swings

  

Scott (husband) and Lucy
trying on Dori's new scarves

          

Ready or not!

"Let's make hair mustaches!"

(They decided not to due to weirdness factor.)

It was general consensus that Dori looked pretty hard core with a mohawk... 

or was this the mullet phase?   

Is solace anywhere more comforting than in the arms of a sister?  ~Alice Walker

The block of granite which was an obstacle in the pathway of the weak, became a stepping-stone in the pathway of the strong. ~Thomas Carlyle

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, 

while loving someone deeply gives you courage."   ~ Lao Tzu

Accessories:  a cancer patient must!

I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!
~Dr. Seuss

Of course, Scott was not about to be left out of the accessory fashion show!

 

"I will be your bra..."

"... and I will let you have the last hot pocket."

~ True Love ~

"Strength does not come from physical capacity.  It comes from an indomitable will."

~ Mahatma Ghandhi

Fear can keep us up all night long, but faith makes one fine pillow.  - Philip Gulley

As Dori continues her balancing act with emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual health and wellness, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers!  If you feel so inclined, Dori also has a donation link on her blog which will help offset the costs of her treatment.

Stay strong and beautiful Dori!