by Elizabeth Hotaling Brita Nowak put the semi into first gear and then slowly let out the clutch. The rig moved forward. She had never felt anything like it. “It’s better than sex,” she laughed and she knew she wanted to do this forever and ever and ever.  After 10 years in Hollywood, her gig working on the set of Star Trek Voyager was over when the series came to an end. Brita, a German native, found herself at a crossroads. She was only 34, but in Hollywood in 2001, job prospects in the movie industry at that age, were slim. Instead, she decided to try something she had always…

by Paul Jepson Walking out the elevator of a Chicago hotel with my flat partner, Katie, I was caught up in one of those sudden rushes of emotion as she was met by a tidal wave of greetings from women who had only one thing in common: their flatness following mastectomy. It brought home the deep and significant emotional bond that unites ladies who all share a sense of connectedness through their surgeries, despite wildly differing journeys. As a bloke, I have marveled at how important, even essential, this community is for Katie. The abundant joy that erupts from the group when they meet, the exchange of stories, and whatever…

by Susan Pritchard It is uncertain whether art truly has the capacity to heal, but standing tall, unashamedly displayed in the open, are three statues of women with one breast and one scar. Altered art and monuments, they reflect the treatment and survivorship of millions of women across the globe. It’s impossible to look away from these statues representing real women. They are in the park, in front of parliament, and on exhibit. They boldly state that breast cancer is universal and that beauty can still be found after losing breasts. During a public performance in New York, artist Prune Nourry chiseled away at one breast of The Amazon, a…