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Resilience in Recovery

Allie Sawyer has everything a 23-year-old woman could want; a loving husband, a supportive family, and a place to call home. What she doesn’t have is breasts. 


In August, Allie decided to have a double mastectomy. Allie inherited the BRCA gene, which increases the likelihood of breast cancer. One week after surgery, Allie returned to her spray tan and pageant dress rental businesses in her hometown of Kennett, Missouri. Allie has been open about her double mastectomy. As she met friends and family at the Delta Fair in September, she was willing to talk about and even show the results of her recent surgery. 


Allie looks forward to having breasts again after reconstruction and plans to vacation somewhere tropical to celebrate. 

1 / 7
Allie Sawyer gets dressed to see her family at her home. After a double mastectomy last month, raising her arms to complete daily tasks has been a challenge.
2 / 7
Carter Cook, 1, sits on his aunt Allie’s lap as her family watches the Delta Fair Parade. Her sister, Bre Parrent, 21, sits next to her.
3 / 7
Allie rides with her husband David down Levee Road in Dunklin County, Mo. They often come for relaxed drives and to spot deer from the truck.
4 / 7
Allie unboxes a new pageant dress to add to her collection of rentals. She began dress rental services to cater to the local community.
5 / 7
Allie applies a spray tan to Elyssa Schaltz, 18, at her studio in Kennett. Elyssa is getting a spray tan for an upcoming pageant.
6 / 7
Allie and David Sawyer, 25, have been married for 16 months. After meeting David, she told a close friend, “I am going to marry that man one day."
7 / 7
Allie stands on her front porch as a storm passes. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and there is hope for women like her with ongoing cancer research.

Resilience in Recovery was completed in participation with the Missouri Photo Workshop located in Kennett, Mo. in 2024. The published story can be found here.

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