Shatara is a
20-year-old inspiration! Two and a half years ago, on July 6, 2010, a
month after graduating from high school and just two days before her
18th birthday, Shatara went to see her doctor because she still hadn’t
started menstruating. Doctors were very concerned and, while it was a
difficult decision to make for one so young, Shatara was scheduled for
surgery to remove both ovaries, rendering her unable to have children of
her own. Later tests revealed both ovaries were cancerous for a rare
and dangerous form of cancer. While doctors were hopeful that they had
caught all of the cancer by removing the ovaries, they weren’t taking
any chances with Shatara’s life, and she was scheduled for aggressive
chemotherapy to begin August 1. During her three rounds of chemo, one of
the most difficult things for Shatara was losing her hair. Prior to her
diagnosis, she had long shining locks that framed her face beautifully.
When Shatara realized she would lose her hair, she had it cut into a
shoulder length bob. But when it started falling out in clumps, she
faced the inevitable, and her step-mom helped her shave her head. So far
she had been so strong. But that’s when she broke down and cried.
Shatara started wearing a wig. She wasn’t giving up or giving in to
cancer! At the conclusion of her chemo treatments, near the end of
October 2010, Shatara was declared cancer free! By then she had already
enrolled in college and decided on her career goal: to become a nurse.
Today she continues to attend college and also works in the Intensive
Care Unit at a local hospital as a certified nursing assistant. Her hair
has grown back, and she wears it just past shoulder length where it
once again shines and sets off her beautiful face. When she is not
working or studying, Shatara loves to play sports, spend time with her
friends and family, and ride her horse, Chessie. She says a perfect day
for her would be riding horse on the beach with her family with, of
course, her hair flying behind her in the wind! Shatara has a fun-loving
personality and can brighten your day with just a smile. Throughout her
battle with cancer, Shatara’s smile rarely dimmed. Rather than focus on
what could have been, Shatara focused on what is and how she could help
others. She is still doing that today, in her daily life and in making
her decision to become a nurse. Shatara decided to be photographed for
The Gold Hope Project to be an inspiration to others and to remind them
that there is always HOPE. Shatara wanted to include a tiny bit of the
color aqua into her session (in addition to the gold representing HOPE)
because aqua is the color of the ribbon for ovarian cancer, so she
brought bracelets in both gold and aqua to be included in some of her
images. In some of her images, you will see that Shatara bears two
scars, one on her chest and the other near her neck, as a result of her
chemotherapy treatments. They are reminders that she fought cancer and
survived, and Shatara wears them with pride. She is a fighter, a
survivor, and a true inspiration! Images by: Photography by Tina
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