Picasso's Woman: A Breast Cancer Story

Moira Harris is a graduate student in animal behavior at the University
of Saskatchewan.

Every year in Canada, 16,300 women are diagnosed with breast cancer; in
1991, Rosalind MacPhee was one of these women. In this intimate
portrait, MacPhee meticulously describes her many roles—as mother,
lover, paramedic, poet, student, and sports enthusiast—and
relationships.

After her diagnosis, MacPhee decided to become an expert on breast
cancer. Drawing on her medical knowledge and the research facilities
available, she investigated all possible options before selecting
mastectomy as the best treatment for her cancer. Following her diagnosis
and surgery, she experienced guilt, depression, and self-blame.
Unexpectedly, she also found that close relationships had changed as a
result of her cancer.

This candid exploration of one woman’s life is by turns funny,
wrenching, enlightening, tragic, and life-affirming. As Judy Caldwell of
the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation points out, the story of breast
cancer cannot be told by facts alone.