Allison Kliman, breast cancer survivor, radiates courage and grace. Her portrait is a testament to resilience, self-love, and the power of embracing life—one birthday, one challenge, one step at a time.
Finding Light in the Fight
Allison Kliman’s breast cancer journey began with disbelief. Originally from Chicago and now living in Green Bay with her husband and two young children, Allison was active, healthy, and felt fine. So when the radiologist told her she had cancer, she couldn’t comprehend it. “She had to tell me two or three times,” Allison recalls. “I didn’t feel sick. I couldn’t believe it.”
Diagnosed with bilateral synchronous breast cancer, Allison underwent a double mastectomy, lymph node dissection, chemotherapy, radiation, and now continues hormone suppression therapy. Her diagnosis came when her children were just nine months and three years old. “My biggest concern was being able to care for them,” she says. “But they became my greatest source of strength. They loved me unconditionally, hair or no hair, tired or not.”
The emotional toll was the hardest part. “You learn quickly that you don’t control everything,” Allison says. “Physically, you can tell yourself it’s temporary. Emotionally, it’s harder to shake.”
Her diagnosis changed how she views life and aging. “I used to dread birthdays. Now I celebrate every single one. Turning 40 just days after being hospitalized was a gift. Every year I’m here is a reason to celebrate.”
Breast cancer deeply impacted Allison’s self-image. “I felt less of a woman losing my breasts, and less of a human losing my nipples,” she shares. But confidence now means something different. “It’s being comfortable in your skin and in your life. I remind myself of everyone who loves me.”
Allison joined the boudoir-style portrait campaign to challenge herself and reclaim her self-love. “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you,” she says. “I wanted to see myself in a beautiful light again.”
Her message to others is one of hope and resilience: “Try not to get lost in the fear. It will never fully go away, but you can quiet it. You can keep moving forward.”
Her mantra? “Life goes on. Keep moving forward.”
Allison hopes her story and portrait show that cancer doesn’t discriminate. “It doesn’t care about age, race, or health. It can happen to anyone. But you don’t have to be destroyed by it. You can fight through it and come out stronger.”