Lifetime TV's "Faces of Breast Cancer" Features Portrait by f8 Photo Studios

Raleigh, NC, November 08, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Jonathan Kaz and Cara Galati of f8 Photos Studios in Raleigh know exactly what the face of breast cancer looks like. They’ve seen it on their own mothers. So they were especially pleased recently when they learned that Lifetime TV’s online “Faces of Breast Cancer” campaign had posted a portrait they made together of Kaz’s mother, Merrikay Olson, with his two-year-old daughter, Sophia.

“Mom wanted a portrait of herself -- with her new, real hair -- and her granddaughter,” Kaz said. “It’s a beautiful thing to see the two of them together in that image. And Mom and I chuckled about the fact that Sophia had the longest hair.

“The thought of my mother going through all those struggles was a reality-check for me,” Kaz continued. “I realized very quickly that my own issues paled in comparison. And to this day, I wake up even more grateful for my friends and family.

“I know cancer is a bad thing, but the experience not only enriched my family’s life by showing us true strength, it also brought us closer than ever before. That’s the ‘positive’ of survival.”

Merrikay, who lives in Forest Lake, Minnesota, was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer in May of 2006. Her treatment involved a single mastectomy in June followed by chemotherapy and radiation. Today, she’s cancer free and “feeling wonderful,” she said.

Galati’s mother, Colleen, lives in Siesta Key, Florida, and has been cancer free for almost four years. “I was devastated when she was diagnosed, and I count each year since then as a gift,” Galati said. “Lifetime TV’s ‘Faces of Breast Cancer’ campaign is such a great way to showcase how truly beautiful these women are – these moms and sisters and wives that we love – perhaps more so because they’ve faced adversity and come back to us on the other side.”

Merrikay Olson’s and other Faces of Breast Cancer can be seen at http://lifetimetv.com/community/my-lifetime-commitment/breast-cancer/faces-breast-cancer.

f8 Photo Studios is located in the historic Royal Bakery building on Raleigh’s Hillsborough Street. For more information, call 919-835-0999 or visit http://www.f8photostudios.com.

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