Let’s start with the standard “boring” information. My name is Jennifer,  I am a mother of 4 and a wife of 10 years.  These details may seem like basic information, but to me, being a mother is my biggest accomplishment and I believe one of the greatest things about being a woman. I’ve been blessed with that title 4x over. I was able to grow three human beings in my body and help bring them forward into life. The feeling never got old, from the time I found out I was pregnant with my oldest (now 24) to my youngest (14), and then I was blessed with a 4^th bonus child. I’m now entering the phase of my life when the children are grown and leaving the house. My role in their life has changed and I am both nervous about the future and excited to see what it holds.

Being a mother was always a dream of mine, but I had others. I wanted to travel and see the world, I wanted to get my nursing degree, and I wanted to finish college. The reality was a bit different. Reflecting on my 18-year-old self after finishing high school I quickly enrolled in community college and almost as quickly began to burn out. It felt like the 13^th grade, and I needed a break. Looking at it now, I regret giving in to the opinions of those seeking to destroy my self-confidence and contributing to my choices.

Despite a small stumble at the start, I found my career path and realized that as much as I enjoy making lives, I enjoy saving them. For the past 20 years, that’s what I have been doing, working full-time as a paramedic. I’ve always wanted to work in emergency medicine, I love the work, and it’s what led me to Mirrored Images.  I met Jenn in 2020 when she was an ER nurse at a hospital I transported frequently. We were all addressing the emergence of COVID, and we became friends.  Dealing with the trauma on the work front was further compounded by those personally. My home needed repairs that I wasn’t prepared for, and my body began to fail me. I was diagnosed with Stage 3 metastatic Melanoma and that realization was quickly followed by the realities of surgery, surgical complications, ports, and treatments.

 

Having survived.

Wait.

I think that deserves a moment.

 

YES! I am a survivor and as a survivor, I felt I deserved something for myself.    I reached out to my friend, Jenn. We sat down to discuss the shoot and which poses I wanted and what I was comfortable with showing. After our meeting, I thought was ready.

Until the day of the shot.

I had just had a series of scans earlier that week and I kept staring at the bruise  on my hand from the IV. Since having my children I’ve felt my body was far from “perfect”, but cancer and  the resulting scars had formed a sort of armor around me, one which I found hard to let go. I was literally holding my breath as I lay down on the couch. Jenn had to keep reminding me to breathe. Once I did, I noticed other things, like how incredible my hair and makeup looked, my smile, and how thankful I was for the opportunity of life and the chance to do the shoot. I realized sexy doesn’t have a size and Jenn is truly a testament to reminding women of this.

If anyone is debating whether to book the shoot. BOOK THE SHOOT! Don’t delay because life is beautiful, and time is precious. Don’t waste another minute and treat yourself as the incredible woman that you are.