“I deeply appreciate how you guided us through the selfie exploration exercises with compassion, openness, and no pressure. Your story of self-love and how photography helped you see yourself differently was raw, vulnerable, and profoundly comforting. It taught me how trauma shapes self-image. I used to love photos of myself—playful, silly, and confident in my body and life. But cancer changed that. Facing it in my mid-40s, a time when cultural biases challenge women’s beauty, I struggled to recognize the woman in the mirror. She didn’t look like the person I once loved seeing. During treatment, I tried to embrace my new self but often felt disappointed. This exercise reminded me to live in the moment and take photos just for me. On this retreat with survivors, surrounded by healing energy, I let go of expectations and embraced myself fully. My favorite photo captured me flipping my regrowing hair forward—something I usually hide—and planes flying overhead added vibrant colors to the sky. It was a beautiful memory of simply being me, with myself. Thank you for being a healing instrument, a permission giver, and an encourager to see the beauty in ourselves. We see it in you, and those around us, but taking time for the hardest part, ourselves, was such a gift and blessing to experience under your guidance. Thank you! Thank you!”