16 People Bare Their Cancer Scars In Candid Portraits: 'This Disease Won’t Define Me'

"I’ve learnt to appreciate my body for what it is – strong and resilient."
Angela Crossland, 46, from Buckinghamshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018.
Ami Barwell
Angela Crossland, 46, from Buckinghamshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018.

“For me, it’s about not being defined by my cancer,” says Deborah James, 38, “I want to be seen as the woman I was before and yes, sometimes I do still want to look sexy.”

The Londoner, who has stage 4 bowel cancer and is known on social media as Bowel Babe, is one of 16 men and women affected by cancer who’ve taken part in a photoshoot giving an honest and unfiltered look at the disease.

Shot by photographer Ami Barwell, the project, called Defiance, has been released as part of Stand Up To Cancer, a fundraising campaign jointly run by Cancer Research UK and Channel 4.

The photo series aims to showcase the gritty and raw reality of cancer with each participant embracing scars and changes to their bodies, big or small, as a show of strength against the disease.

Taking part in the shoot has been “empowering”, says James. “My scars have affected my confidence at times, but I’ve learnt to appreciate my body for what it is – strong and resilient.”

Deborah James
Ami Barwell
Deborah James

Tasha Jilka, 27, from Leicester, who was diagnosed in 2010 with neuroblastoma, which has affected her face and nose, says that receiving the diagnosis just before her 18th birthday “massively impacted [her] confidence”.

“My cancer has completely changed my face, so it’s not something I can hide away from. I’ve had to build a thick skin over the past nine years and now I use my face as a symbol of strength, something that shows everything I’ve been through.”

Tasha Jilka
Ami Barwell
Tasha Jilka

Cory Clayton, 24, from Newcastle, was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in 2015 and has a titanium rod fitted in his leg, replacing his thigh bone. Much of his thigh tissue also had to be replaced.

“When I was first diagnosed with cancer I felt such a detachment from my body, like it had let me down,” he says. “My surgery has left me with a scar running all the way down my thigh and while the physical appearance of it doesn’t bother me so much, it is a reminder of what I’ve lost.

“I can’t run any more, I can’t cycle, but I won’t let cancer take away the joy in my life. By embracing my scar, I’m standing up to cancer and showing that this disease won’t define me or my life anymore.”

Cory Clayton
Ami Barwell
Cory Clayton

You can see more photos from the series below and Ami Barwell’s photographs will also be exhibited at Carousel, 71 Blandford St, Marylebone, London W1U 8AB, which is open to the public on Tuesday 15 October 12-4pm.

Alice-May Purkiss, 30, from London, was diagnosed with stage 3 triple negative breast cancer in 2015.
Ami Barwell
Alice-May Purkiss, 30, from London, was diagnosed with stage 3 triple negative breast cancer in 2015.
Alison Meaton, 59, West Cornwall, diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer when she was 48.
Ami Barwell
Alison Meaton, 59, West Cornwall, diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer when she was 48.
Mark Douglas (Doug), 39, from London, living with thyroid cancer.
Ami Barwell
Mark Douglas (Doug), 39, from London, living with thyroid cancer.
Caroline Caffrey, 58, from Brighton, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008.
Ami Barwell
Caroline Caffrey, 58, from Brighton, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008.
Donna Anken, 44, from Manchester, was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2015.
Ami Barwell
Donna Anken, 44, from Manchester, was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2015.
Juliet Fitzpatrick, 57, from Hertfordshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer in her left breast in 2016.
Ami Barwell
Juliet Fitzpatrick, 57, from Hertfordshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer in her left breast in 2016.
Steve McAllister, 67, from Cardiff, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010.
Ami Barwell
Steve McAllister, 67, from Cardiff, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010.
Nicki Hastie, 50, Nottingham, was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2018.
Ami Barwell
Nicki Hastie, 50, Nottingham, was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2018.
Samantha Evans, 42, from Norfolk, was diagnosed in 2015 with triple negative breast cancer.
Ami Barwell
Samantha Evans, 42, from Norfolk, was diagnosed in 2015 with triple negative breast cancer.
Sherry McGill, 44, from Bedford, was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in April 2017.
Ami Barwell
Sherry McGill, 44, from Bedford, was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in April 2017.
Stella Bradley, 53, from Shropshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016.
Ami Barwell
Stella Bradley, 53, from Shropshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016.
Thomasina McGuigan, 45, from Portsmouth, was diagnosed at 20 with stage 3 invasive breast cancer.
Ami Barwell
Thomasina McGuigan, 45, from Portsmouth, was diagnosed at 20 with stage 3 invasive breast cancer.

Stand Up To Cancer funds life-saving cancer research. To date, the campaign has raised more than £62 million, funding 52 clinical trials and projects, involving over 11,000 patients. For more information visit www.su2c.org.uk

Close