When women diagnosed with breast cancer face the possibility of undergoing surgery or having a mastectomy they want to know what their bodies will look like afterwards. But faced with only clinical and impersonal depictions of women's bodies, how can they know what to expect? Will they still feel attractive? Will they still feel like themselves? Kristina Hunter was faced with those very fears with her diagnosis. During her treatment she met other women who also had no idea what their bodies would look like after surgery, and she set out to correct this. With photographer ML Kenneth, together they captured emotional photographs of women who have had breast cancer surgery, helping them reclaim their bodies, and then paired the photos with information on their corresponding surgeries.

The result is this informative collection of personal, empowering, and artful portraits that answers many questions about surgeries, while also asking questions about what makes a woman’s body beautiful. It gives future generations of diagnosed women a more tangible, and beautiful, reference of what to expect. Backed by a Kickstarter project that brought in over $27,000, Woman Redefined will be distributed free of charge to Breast Health Centers in the United States and Canada.

Kristina Hunter is a senior instructor at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, where she teaches Environmental Studies and Science. At 42, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and was disheartened to see only very clinical images of women before and after their surgery. From this experience, she envisioned the Woman: Redefined project to help women facing breast cancer and survivors see themselves as whole, beautiful, and perfect.

Kristina Hunter's profile page

ML Kenneth is an intermedia artist known best for her diversity of talent and powerful expression of life's beauty and complexity through painting, printmaking, sculpture, installation and photography. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of Manitoba. To tell these womens' stories has been a turning point in her artistic career. ML resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

M.L. Kenneth's profile page

Simply stated, every community, health center, and academic library Health/Medicine collection should have a copy of "Woman Redefined: Dignity, Beauty, and Breast Cancer" in their collection.

The Midwest Book Review