An artist recently discovered that her painting was voted on by other members of the art collective where she and her wife rent a studio. Her portrait of a breast cancer survivor was deemed by the other artists not to be "family friendly." Rhon's portrait is featured here.

As you will note, there is nothing lewd or pornographic about this portrait. The art show in Dallas, Texas, from which the portrait was removed featured other nudes. It is unfortunate that this portrait was removed.

I don't know all of the details, the focus of the show, nor the temperaments of all of the artists involved. I hope there were other reasons than the fear that parents might be afraid to show their children alternative views of the world, views of the world that might be frightening, but might also spark conversations about reality, about family members and friends, about prevention, and about compassion.

What do you think? Would this portrait offend you?

Photographer Sharon Seligman's images are inspired by her personal journeys. She photographs people and birds and residential communities. She also captures the journeys of women enduring breast cancer. Her work speaks of the human experience. It speaks of her own experience. It speaks volumes.

Bearing Witness: Beyond the Surface of Breast Cancer is one of Seligman's portfolios. It's a photographic trip down memory lane, depicting self-portraits of courageous breast cancer survivors. Seligman tells her own story in words that border the left side of each portrait. Captions to the right of each black and white photograph offer a glimpse into the life of each woman whose being is displayed in raw form, for all to see, for all to contemplate, for all to appreciate.

And then in another portfolio, Seligman offers more photographs, more visions of the breast cancer experience.

Seligman aims to share the physical changes that come from breast cancer, to project the inner truths. Clearly, she is right on target.

Glamour's October magazine features stories about breast cancer survivors. Cancer Vixen Marisa Acocella Marchetto, cartoonist for Glamour and The New Yorker and author of Cancer Vixen: A True Story, is profiled. And another survivor -- young mom Kelly Corrigan who authors her online journal Circus of Cancer -- is highlighted. And Allison Briggs, diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 26, shares her photo journal with readers who learn from all three survivors that more and more, women are sharing their cancer journeys in very public ways.

Allison -- Alli -- could not sleep the night she was diagnosed with breast cancer so she sent her boyfriend to the store for medication to calm her upset stomach. While he was gone, she noticed a camera sitting on the bedside table. She had an overwhelming urge to start snapping photos. So she took some self-portraits, had her boyfriend take some more when he returned home, and decided that night she would document her journey through photographs. She wanted to remember this phase of her life -- even though she had no idea how it would turn out.

Life is turning out just fine for Alli, who has rallied a support team called The Rack Pack, a group of women who aim to make a difference -- all because of the inspiration and strength they receive from their friend Alli. They are participating in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day, 60-mile walk in San Diego November 10-12. They sell Rack Pack t-shirts. They offer e-mail notification of exclusive Rack Pack events. They share updates about Alli. They never stop trying to make a difference -- for Alli and for women everywhere fighting breast cancer.

Photographs of beautiful, brave, bald women fill the pages of Jackson Hunsicker's new book, Turning Heads: Portraits of Grace, Inspiration, and Possibilities.  Hunsicker, a cancer survivor whose initial fear after diagnosis was that of losing her own hair, features portraits of women from all over -- bald women whose cancer and chemotherapy took their hair.  Well-known photographers capture their beauty in this photo book that features cancer survivors in their own natural settings -- like two women posing in Venice Beach, one having never before gone out bald in public, a surfer riding a wave in Hawaii, and a bald and proud Melissa Etheridge on stage at the 2005 Grammy's.  Each photograph is accompanied by a short essay as the women in this book showcase their talents, interests, bravery, and courage. Hats off to Hunsicker for a book sure to be inspiring.

Marilyn Axelrod Burch, 15-year breast cancer survivor, is the president and founder of the Wall of Hope Breast Cancer Survivors Project. While the Wall of Hope traveling exhibit has visited more than 80 venues in California, plus four other states and Canada, the ultimate vision is to create the Mile of Survival involving communities across this nation to create a mile-long exhibit of breast cancer survivors. Once accomplished, the Mile of Survival project will be put on exhibit in Washington, D. C. Afterwards, each state will be invited to take their own 100-foot Wall of Hope back home and continue to display it.

According to Ms. Burch, "Our foods are laden with chemicals that are dangerous for animals and humans to consume. We are not addressing the cancer problem at its source. Until we do, we cannot hope to reverse this alarming rise of disease amongst plants, animals and humans." She stresses the need for prevention research and action, rather than the singular focus on treatments.

"We have become grossly distracted while we run down one path after another searching for the cure. The cost of distraction is in new diagnoses and lives lost. We need to do much better than this. We must remove the toxic causes of cancer and other disease, and restore our earth to its original, healthy state." If you are a breast cancer survivor who would like to participate in the Wall of Hope in your state and the national Mile of Survival project, visit the Wall of Hope Breast Cancer Survivors Project for more information.