A beloved Living Beauty, Ida Rosenberg describes her cancer journey as one of empowering discovery, both of others and of herself. “The biggest gift I got [during this journey] was becoming friends with women I would have never previously had the opportunity to know. They have so enriched my life and you really can’t put a single value on that.” In fact, The Foundation for Living Beauty’s community of women and focus on positivity led Ida to recognize her own strengths as a rock and optimist. “The fact that I found out I had the ability to touch people and make a change in their lives through a positive outlook was empowering. I considered myself a survivor from the second I was diagnosed. I believe my positive outlook healed me faster and healed my family as well.”

Through her emotional healing process, Ida also came to peace with new elements of her body, including those carved by cancer. “Every warrior has scars, emotionally or physically. Mine are on my body. It’s a sign of strength: To show my scars only shows my journey and the fight that I fought.”

The Gift offered Ida an opportunity to not only showcase her scars, but also celebrate her womanhood. While Ida approached her photo session for The Gift with peace, she felt even more comforted and encouraged by our photographer, Cynthia Perez. “Cynthia was great,” Ida explained. “When she first started taking pictures, the fabric I had brought with me was more in front of me and I was a silhouette. By the time we were done, the fabric was behind me and I was in front of it. I think that speaks volumes. For me to feel comfortable and bare all, that shows how she put me at ease and made me feel better and better about what I was doing as we went along. Then I felt totally free.”

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