Marisa Kimmel & Kate Lollio
The Story
Marissa Kimmel
Hazel Park, MI
Social Media: @marisakimmel
Previvor
Twist on Cancer: When I was growing up, my aunts and my grandma had their brush with cancer at such young ages. Two and a half years ago I took my first steps to try to miss my brush with cancer. After having genetic testing done, I found out I was BRCA1+. I then decided that I would have a preventative mastectomy.
The women in my family have gone through such difficult times with their breast cancers, they reminded and empowered me to act before I was put in the same ring with cancer. My body may look a little different now, but it’s beautifully mine and the changes may have saved me from missing out on life.
Social Media: @marisakimmel
Previvor
Twist on Cancer: When I was growing up, my aunts and my grandma had their brush with cancer at such young ages. Two and a half years ago I took my first steps to try to miss my brush with cancer. After having genetic testing done, I found out I was BRCA1+. I then decided that I would have a preventative mastectomy.
The women in my family have gone through such difficult times with their breast cancers, they reminded and empowered me to act before I was put in the same ring with cancer. My body may look a little different now, but it’s beautifully mine and the changes may have saved me from missing out on life.
Kate Lollio
Social Media: @katelollio
“Free”
Acrylic on Canvas
40x30x1.5
$600
Artist Statement: In this piece, I tried to capture a moment Marisa recalled to me about the first time she shaved her head after struggling with alopecia and self worth. She was able to go swimming in water, something she would have never done before shaving her head. Her brave journey of self acceptance, despite her health challenges, is remarkable. I wanted to recreate that moment in my art, this time incorporating the preventative double-mastectomy she underwent. Marisa is very candid about the difficulties she faced, emotionally and physically, to accept herself as she is. I call this piece “Free” and I hope it inspires viewers to emulate Marisa’s philosophy of self love; free of society’s expectations and judgments of what it means to be beautiful and worthy of love.
“Free”
Acrylic on Canvas
40x30x1.5
$600
Artist Statement: In this piece, I tried to capture a moment Marisa recalled to me about the first time she shaved her head after struggling with alopecia and self worth. She was able to go swimming in water, something she would have never done before shaving her head. Her brave journey of self acceptance, despite her health challenges, is remarkable. I wanted to recreate that moment in my art, this time incorporating the preventative double-mastectomy she underwent. Marisa is very candid about the difficulties she faced, emotionally and physically, to accept herself as she is. I call this piece “Free” and I hope it inspires viewers to emulate Marisa’s philosophy of self love; free of society’s expectations and judgments of what it means to be beautiful and worthy of love.
The Reveal