Photographers capture the most emotional and raw moments in our lives. Photos have the power to tell an entire story without any words.
Bonnie Hussey, a St. Cloud & Orlando birth photographer and postpartum doula, has shared a very powerful series of photos that she took.
Every year, Bonnie hosts giveaways for free birth photography sessions for at least two to three women. Birth photography is a popular trend that captures the moments surrounding a baby’s birth. Photographers capture the moments leading up to birth, the labor and delivery, and the very pure moments afterward.
When Bonnie heard about Maria Crider’s story, she knew she had to photograph her birth. Maria was diagnosed with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer when she was 11 weeks pregnant.
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is when breast cancer cells are tested for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and HER2. If the tests come back negative for all three, that means the cancer is triple-negative.
These negative results mean that the growth of the cancer is not supported by the hormones estrogen and progesterone, nor by the presence of too many HER2 receptors, which means, triple-negative breast cancer does not respond to hormonal therapy
Maria’s diagnosis made her pregnancy an uphill battle. But the mom fought her way through it for her son.
She had a unilateral mastectomy, a salpingectomy, 16 chemotherapies, 25 out of 28 radiations, and more.
Doctors were able to treat Maria for her cancer during her second and third trimesters. Doctors worked with her to plan a cesarean section for her delivery.
“Maria taught me so much, through her fight with Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)… From the moment I met her, she has had this determination that she is going to beat this. It was truly an honor to be a part of her birthing day. I can only hope she will be able to look back on her images and see how strong she truly is,” Bonnie told Love What Matters.
Maria’s son, Logan, was born on Apri 13, 2017. Bonnie was there from the moment that Maria was wheeled into the hospital. She was in the delivery room with the expecting parents.
A camera was set up by the doctors so Maria could watch the c-section take place. She’d been promised during her treatments that her son wouldn’t be affected and he was healthy, and she finally got her proof when he was born.
After Logan’s initial exam, the nurses in the delivery room encourage Maria to try and breastfeed. They all knew that the chances were slim, having only one breast, but Bonnie captured that emotional moment on camera for Maria.
When Maria first saw the photos Bonnie took, she cried.
She encouraged Bonnie to share them on social media, as she felt Bonnie caught the “hell yeah! we made it” moments on film.
“When I took Maria on as a client, my initial instinct was to protect her and not share any of her images or film. I do not document birth stories for anyone other than my clients, and I don’t generally care if the work I make goes viral,” Bonnie explained to the Huffington Post.
Maria hopes that her birth photos are able to inspire other moms who are diagnosed with cancer during their pregnancy. She wants it to give them the hope and courage to discuss a course of action that is safe for both the mom and the baby.
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