POWER in PINK: Choosing Strength, Community, and Self-Love
By Bassam Sabbagh - Montréal Portrait and Boudoir Photographer
This blog shares the powerful story of Karen, a POWER in PINK participant who took control of her health after testing positive for the BRCA2 gene. Through preventative surgeries and personal challenges, she found strength, self-acceptance, and a mission to support others. Her journey is a moving reminder that beauty, resilience, and healing come in many forms and no one should face breast cancer alone.
A BRCA2 Diagnosis That Changed Everything
Fourteen years ago, everything changed. A positive BRCA mutation test in my father sparked a chain reaction that would alter the course of my life. Many don’t realize that BRCA mutations impact both men and women, but they do. After my own testing, I learned I was BRCA2 positive. Suddenly, I was living with the knowledge of an 87% lifetime risk of breast cancer and a 40% risk of ovarian cancer.
Rather than wait for cancer to find me, I made the bold decision to strike first.
Within six weeks, I underwent a full hysterectomy and oophorectomy. Two months later, I followed through with a risk-reducing double mastectomy with reconstruction. It was a whirlwind of surgeries, choices, and emotion, but it was also a way for me to take control of my life.
When Strength Means Not Letting Hardship Define You
My journey wasn’t smooth. Complications led to eight additional surgeries. It would have been easy to lose hope. But I chose a different path.
Instead of letting hardship define me, I transformed it into purpose. I founded the BRCA Sisterhood, an online peer support community for women navigating hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. What began as a small support system has grown into a thriving, empowering space for more than 10,000 women. Together, we walk through this journey, not alone, but in solidarity.
Strength, for me, means taking that pain and using it to light the way for others.
Learning to Love My Body, Scars and All
Before my mastectomy, I struggled with body image. But in facing what I feared, I found something unexpected: peace. Through complications, scars, and healing, I learned to love my body, not in spite of what it’s been through, but because of it.
My scars aren’t a sign of loss. They’re symbols of survival. My body is strong. My body is mine.
A Mastectomy Is Not a “Boob Job”
I wish more people understood that breast cancer doesn’t end when the cancer is gone. It stays with you, emotionally and physically. A mastectomy is not a cosmetic procedure—it’s an amputation. And with it, we often lose something that’s hard to explain to those who haven’t experienced it.
There’s also no single “right” way to cope. Everyone processes differently. And that’s okay.
The Power of Support and the Gift of Self-Advocacy
Throughout my journey, my family has been my rock. Their support, encouragement, and presence carried me through the most challenging moments.
But I also had to learn how to advocate for myself. That’s what I want other women to know: Ask questions. Demand answers. Seek second opinions. Talk to others who have walked the path. You are in charge of your body. Don’t let anyone take that power from you.
Support groups can make all the difference. The sisterhood I built continues to inspire me every day. And for those navigating the world post-surgery, I can’t recommend AnaOno bras enough—they’re designed for women like us.
Redefining Beauty and Empowerment
Participating in the POWER in PINK campaign was a clear choice for me. No one should feel alone. I want other survivors to see that beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all. You get to define it. You get to own it. Flat, scarred, reconstructed, or any version of yourself - you are worthy. You are beautiful.
In my portraits, I want people to see a strong, powerful, natural woman. Someone who didn’t just survive - someone who thrived.
A Message to Women Just Beginning Their Journey
To anyone newly diagnosed, I want you to know: You’ve got this!
Ask the hard questions. Speak to those who’ve been through it. Educate yourself. Lean on support. You are not a passive passenger. You are the one in the driver’s seat. Advocate fiercely for yourself.
You may not feel it right away, but you are powerful.
A Final Reflection
This campaign is brilliant. It lifts voices and brings light to a reality many keep quiet.
And if I could leave you with one quote that has always stayed with me, it’s this from Maya Angelou:
“We did then what we knew how to do, now that we know better, we do better.”
We are always evolving. Always learning. And always capable of turning pain into purpose.
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