By VIRGINIA BRIDGES, Correspondent

Beth Palmer wears many hats. She is an artist, former teacher, a wife and mother.

Now she is "Mrs. January."

A seven-year breast cancer survivor, Palmer is Mrs. January for the 2011 "Fighting Faces" calendar. It features cancer

By Kevin Dye, Staff Writer

More than anything...Be kind to one another, for everyone is fighting a hard battle," said Denise Houser. Many a bond in life has been made between individuals by the relationship they cultivate while working together in their chosen field. A group of Madison County women recently came together to honor a friend and co-worker who lost her battle with breast cancer. London resident Denise Houser was the administrative assistant at Madison County Jobs and Family Services, in London, where she spent 29 years. Denise had battled breast cancer

UA resident chosen to appear in Fighting Faces calendar  

Alicia Kelso

May Cecutti Payne, a lifelong Upper Arlington resident, is very much looking forward to her 50th birthday in May. Not only is it a milestone to celebrate, but it also marks the one-year anniversary of her breast cancer diagnosis, serviing as a reminder she's still very much alive.

After undergoing a double mastectomy, Payne has since been declared cancer free. She is in the process of breast reconstruction surgery, which is scheduled to be completed in May, before her birthday.

The reconstruction has entailed several phases, including expansion, implants, skin graft, tattooing and touch-ups. More importantly, it has restored Payne's sense of femininity and confidence.

 Friday, March 5, 2010

By ANDREW TOBIAS
Staff Writer

 DeeDee James is turning 40 this Monday, and she’s looking forward to it.

 “Thirty-nine wasn’t that great,” she said, her words carrying the weight of surviving a fight against breast cancer. “I think going through everything I have makes me look forward to life in general.”

Her life as a cancer survivor began when she was diagnosed last May. James underwent a hysterectomy and double mastectomy over the summer, and her cancer treatments took her hair, too.

Saturday,  February 13, 2010 4:44 PM

By LIN RICE

ThisWeek Staff Writer

Many efforts to fight cancer focus on raising money for future research and remembering those who have succumbed to the disease.  Marysvillle resident Lori Wycoff, however, stresses that those currently battling cancer must not be forgotten.

"Many that have cancer today won't live to see a cure, "Wycoff said. "Let us not bypass their needs."

Wycoff is the founder of Skin Thirsty, an LLC that is currently producing its second Fighting Faces calendar.  The calendar showcases women from central Ohio who are either fighting cancer, or have already won the battle.  All of the proceeds from calendar sales go toward fighting the disease, Wycoff said.

A tale of two calendars, BY BETH PALMER

The year 2009 brought some of the most moving events of my 53 years.  It seems fitting, for a six-year cancer survivor who has had a difficult series of health challenges, that 2009 also involved two different calendar projects, since I often find myself marking time in various ways.

Last month, I wore false eyelashes (a first for me), donned beautiful jewelry and elegant royal blue, with bright lights all around, during a photo shoot for an inspiring 2011 calendar, featuring cancer "thrivers" called Fighting Faces (www.fightingfaces.com).

By Tom Stafford, Staff Writer 6:03 PM Thursday, December 31, 2009

A few minutes later, photographer J. Brian Killian would start maig portraits for the 2011 calendar, Fighting Faces Today for a Future Tomorrow.

But to give a sense of what inspires her to do the work, project founder Lori Wycoff pulls out her cell phone and plays a recording a friend left couple of weeks earlier.

“Lori, this is Luana. I wanted to call and tell you first of all that I got the calendar. Secondly, I wanted to wish a happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.”

Two years ago, while volunteering at the Columbus, Ohio Komen Race for the Cure, Lori got to thinking about the impact of cancer, witnessing the thousands of people walking for hope, for support, for the memory of a loved one, for a future cure.