This beautiful, beautiful woman is Tami Brown and she's one of the bravest, loveliest and most incredible women I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.
She has been battling cancer since the age of 20 and even though her cancer has now been diagnosed as terminal, Tami has far from given up. Tami has one last wish and that is to go ahead with a new treatment called megadose Intravenous Vitamin C Therapy. She has been doing all sorts of fundraising to raise the £5000 needed for this treatment, and has had some incredible support via
her JustGiving page.
On June 16th 2010, Tami came down to Chichester with wonderful makeup artist and friend
Shell Clapham for a photo shoot. The girls turned up at 1PM and we spent sooo long chatting whilst getting ready to shoot that we completely lost track of time - the first image was taken at 4:30PM! Thank goodness for daylight saving time as we didn't finish up until gone 8PM! We ventured round the garden, through wheat fields and eventually ended up at the beach!
I can safely say that this shoot is and will continue to be the most memorable. The weather was perfect - crisp sunshine and a light, cool breeze. In between talking about absolutely everything and having wheat darts thrown at me by a very giggly Tami, we got some absolutely beautiful images for her friends and family to cherish forever. The highlight of that day for me was sitting on the beach at the end of the day (after somehow losing a shoe), watching the sun setting behind the tide with the girlies. Truly memorable, thank you Tami and Shell. xx
Here is Tami's story so far, quoted from TamisWish.org:
"My name is Tami Brown, I’m 27, I have cancer and have been diagnosed as ‘terminal’.
How it all started
My cancer story started when I was 20 years old and an expected appendicitis removal turned out to be a 90mm tumour inside my colon.
I felt like my whole word had been turned upside down, all my hopes and dreams vanished in a split second. when you hear the word “cancer” you automatically think death and pain. I was very scared and felt very alone.
I went on to receive surgery and 7 months of chemotherapy which doctors told me would weigh my odds against the cancer never returning and thankfully I went into “remission” for 4 1/2 years. After 5 years you are considered to be ‘all clear’ of cancer and I felt I had won my war.
The Cancer returned
I was just starting to forget about cancer and get on with the rest of my life when a routine scan showed that half my liver was now cancerous tissue. I was told that the tumour was inoperable and that I had just 3 months to live.
Again my world was sent into a back flip and this time it felt like there was no hope for me. I was told to enjoy my 3 months and start saying my goodbyes. But somehow, when there was no hope left, an amazing surgeon found out about me and agreed to do the very risky surgery that involved extreme precision.
There was a high chance that I wouldn’t make it through the operation, but I felt like I had no choice. My life would be over in the next couple of months anyway if i didn’t go through with it. Luckily the surgery was a huge success, I survived the operation and was free from cancer once more.
It took me a long time to recover from this surgery, a year in total, to regain my strength and feel back to normal. My liver re-grew to its normal size and started functioning normally. The doctors said, that because of how successful the surgery was, that I once more had a 50/50 chance of never having the cancer return.
And just when you’re over the worst…
Just as the year’s anniversary of the surgery was coming up and I was once more enjoying my life I got the devastating news that the cancer has now returned. This time the prognosis is worse than ever, both my lungs now have cancerous tumours.
There is nothing surgically that can be done for me as both lungs are affected. I have been offered chemotherapy but due to the very violent side affects I seem to encounter with chemotherapy drugs I no longer see this as an option as I have no quality of life. In the Summer of 2010 doctors concluded that I have roughly 12 months left to live and this is where the story of “me” could end.
BUT….
I’m not prepared to end this life right now, I’ve got so much more to give and so much to live for. I have dreams and ambitions still to come true. I have adventures and fun still waiting for me and memories yet to be made. I want to have a chance at experiencing all that life can offer me and there’s so much I want to give back to the world.
Although I have given up on conventional drug-treatment I am not backing out of this fight. I am prepared to do all I can to have a chance of being around longer for myself, my family, my friends and for other people dealing with this frightening disease.
A new hope
I have found out about an alternative treatment called megadose Intravenous Vitamin C Therapy, which in extremely high doses targets cancerous cells and leaves healthy cells alone. It seems to be a little unknown in this country but other countries seem to be applying this therapy and seeing fantastic results.
After lots of research and serious discussion I have decided that I would like to go ahead with phase 1 of this treatment. I feel that it will give me the best chance of having my wish come true; to live as long as I can, as healthily and happily as I can and to make a positive difference in people’s lives.
I want to show people that just because you’re a cancer patient does not make you weak or powerless, but gives you the opportunity to take your life into your own hands.
This is our life, and we have the power to do whatever we want with it. I’m choosing not to surrender to the disease that can consume you and that can bring with it so much negativity. I choose to make my own decision, to win my war, to empower those who are in the same position as me and to be the best person I can possibly be.
Love, Tami x"
You can read more about Tami and offer any words of support you may have through her website and through all the links below. Donations towards her last wish can be made via her JustGiving page.
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