When Ellen Haynes was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer she had one fear: that she wouldn’t be well enough to dance with her granddaughter, Brittany Marr, on her wedding day.
But Ellen got her wish, along with some stunning photos, when a photographer agreed to host a pre-wedding shoot with the two of them.
On the day, Brittany, from Michigan, gave her grandmother an emotional “first look” at her wedding dress and the two danced together to ‘I’m Gonna Love You Through It’ by Martina McBride.
They also read out letters to one another, before Ellen gave Brittany her beloved necklace.
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Copper Pine
The photos were captured by Oklahoma-based photographer Mikayla Miller, who posted a competition on her Facebook page ‘Copper + Pine’ earlier this year offering a free shoot.
Brittany applied for the session, writing to Mikayla explaining her grandmother’s breast cancer was affecting the bones in her back and had spread to her arm.
“I’d like to capture through pictures the love I have for her, the love she gives me, and life is too special and short when you have special people in your life to take that time with them for granted,” Brittany wrote.
For Mikayla, choosing the pair for the shoot was a no-brainer and she said the session itself was “the most emotional shoot that [she has] shot to date.”
“I can’t even remember how many times I could hardly see through the viewfinder on my camera because of the tears that had welled up in my eyes,” she told HuffPost UK.
“The best thing, though, was that the whole session wasn’t filled with tears and sadness. We spent just as much, if not more, time laughing and smiling together, which was beautiful.”
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Copper + Pine
Mikayla explained that at one point, she asked the two women to look at each other and say what their favourite memory with the other was.
“Brittany’s grandma, Ellen, looked at her and said ‘probably this’,” Mikayla said.
“It was the best, most rewarding shoot I’ve ever done, simply because the two are the sweetest human beings and are so, so, so deserving of what I have been able to give them and more.”
Check out some of the photos from the shoot below or visit the Copper + Pine website to see more of Mikayla Mille’s work.
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Breast Cancer Signs And Treatment
What Are The Symptoms?(01 of10)
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"A new painless, firm breast lump with irregular margins is a potential symptom of breast cancer," says Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, a breast cancer researcher at the Mayo Clinic. "The cancer diagnosis is confirmed following a biopsy of the lump." She notes that usually, women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer are healthy and don't feel sick at all. (credit:LarsZahnerPhotography via Getty Images)
Other Symptoms(02 of10)
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Another potential symptom/sign of breast cancer, Pruthi notes, is a new onset of persistent redness on the skin overtop the breast with an orange peel appearance. This would also need a biopsy to confirm a diagnosis of breast cancer. (credit:Image Source via Getty Images)
Metastatic Cancer Symptoms(03 of10)
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"If the cancer is very advanced (metastatic) then the symptoms may also include weight loss, bone pain, headaches, nausea and persistent cough," Pruthi says. (credit:pamela burley via Getty Images)
What Are The Risk Factors?(04 of10)
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Some commonly associated risk factors, Pruthi says, are menstruation before age 11, menstruation after age 54, a first pregnancy after age 35 and a family history of relatives diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer. (credit:AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Are There Any Lifestyle Risk Factors?(05 of10)
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"There is evidence in the literature that obesity after menopause, lack of regular exercise, consuming greater than more or more alcoholic beverages daily, and a high fat diet can all be associated with a higher breast cancer risk," Pruthi notes. But, she points out, "women need to know that any woman can get breast cancer even in the absence of any of these risk factors." (credit:Adrian Samson via Getty Images)
Can I Eat Anything To Prevent It?(06 of10)
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There are no specific types of diets, Pruthi says, but rather women are encouraged to eat fruits, vegetables, fibre, and minimize their alcohol and fat intake, as well as get regular exercise. (credit:lola1960 via Getty Images)
How Do Doctors Determine Treatment?(07 of10)
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"The most current treatment of breast cancer has taken on a individualized approach and is dependent on the biology or aggressive features of the breast cancer," Pruthi explains. "Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and this means that are many sub-types and different degrees of aggressiveness. So staging, which typically takes into account common prognostic features such as tumour size and if lymph nodes are involved, are no longer the only factors doctors use to determine treatment options." (credit:Christopher Futcher via Getty Images)
So What Do They Look At?(08 of10)
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"Today the biology of the tumour is also characterized by molecular markers (also known as predictive markers) such as if the estrogen or progesterone receptor is positive or negative and if the HER 2 protein is positive or negative," she says. "This helps decide who will benefit from a specific chemotherapy regimen, hormonal medications known as antiestrogens or who may need both chemotherapy and hormonal treatment." (credit:BluePlanetEarth via Getty Images)
What About Preventative Mastectomies?(09 of10)
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"Preventive mastectomy is an option for women at very high risk for developing breast cancer because they are BRCA 1 or 2 gene positive or if someone has hereditary predisposition to getting breast cancer but chooses not to have the genetic testing done," Pruthi says. "It is prudent that women who are considering this surgery know their family history in detail. Based on the moderate or strong family history, your doctor would recommend you meet with a genetic counselor to go over the family pedigree and help decide who should test for the breast cancer gene, when to test and how to interpret the genetic test results before proceeding with this preventive surgery." (credit:Jesús Jaime Mota via Getty Images)
Are Other Preventative Treatments Available?(10 of10)
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"High risk women who have had precancerous breast biopsies or strong family history may also be eligible to take preventive medications such as tamoxifen, raloxifene or exemestane to reduce breast cancer risk," Pruthi adds. (credit:art-4-art via Getty Images)