At 44 years old, Regina has spent much of her life caring for others.
As a healthcare professional, a single mother of three, and a woman who has survived more than her share of life’s hardest moments, she became the person everyone else could depend on. Somewhere along the way, though, she lost sight of herself.
When Regina applied for the 30 Over 30: Proof of Her project, it wasn’t because she wanted photos. It was because she wanted to reconnect with a part of herself that had been buried beneath years of responsibility, caregiving, and survival.
“I haven’t felt good about myself in such a long time,” she shared. “I feel like I have lost a part of me as I navigate the roles of caregiver, personally and professionally, and cancer survivor.”
Her story includes a miscarriage, a breast cancer diagnosis, and later, a hysterectomy. Each experience left its mark, not only on her body, but on her sense of identity.
“I felt like everything about my womanhood was under attack,” she said. “These experiences have had a negative impact on my self-identity, but I’m learning that none of these things define me. I can still be ‘that girl’ despite life’s circumstances.”
That realization is what makes Regina’s story so powerful. She isn’t pretending those experiences didn’t change her. She’s choosing not to let them determine her worth.
Today, she is most proud of something many women struggle to do: prioritizing herself.
“In this season of life, I am learning to prioritize my needs and wants and practice self-care every now and then.”
She also wants people to understand that kindness and strength are not opposites.
“My kindness is absolutely not a weakness.”
When Regina sat down for her image reveal, she hoped the portraits would help quiet years of negative self-talk and self-doubt. What she didn’t expect was the emotional reaction that followed.
“My image reveal brought tears to my eyes and a nervous laughter because I had no words to describe how I felt.”
For perhaps the first time in a long time, she saw herself through a different lens. Not as a survivor. Not as a caregiver. Not as a woman defined by loss or hardship. Simply as herself.
When asked what she would tell another woman waiting until she’s more confident, more ready, or has finally lost the weight, her answer was simple:
“Girl, do it. The sooner the better.”
Because confidence isn’t usually what comes first. The decision does.
When Regina completed the sentence, The woman I’ve become is…, she wrote:
“Stronger than I could have ever imagined and more beautiful than I ever believed.”
And after everything she’s overcome, those words are the truth.
Comments +