Photographer Angelica Edwards met Keyla “Nunny” Reece when she was commissioned to write a story about hospital parking fees for her student newspaper at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In 2015, Reece, of Hope Mills, NC, felt a lump in her breast, had it checked, and was told it was a benign cyst. Two years later, she felt an additional lump, this time under her armpit, while simultaneously developing skin blemishes and extreme back pain.
In June 2017, doctors diagnosed Reece with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. It had spread to her ribs, lungs, spine and pelvis.
After the first photo assignment, Edwards contacted Reece to see if she would allow her to record her journey.
Reece was excited to share her story. She said she wished her son Ryan, who was 10 years old at the time, could look back and understand what his mother went through as he got older and she was gone.
October is breast cancer month. At the end of the month, we take an intimate look at Reece’s journey to breast cancer through photos.
Angelica Edwards is a photographer based in Chapel Hill, NC Follow her on Instagram @angelica_edwards2
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