Last Updated on 10/28/2024 by Nilofer Khan
Breast cancer is one of the most significant health concerns affecting millions of women. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022, and 670,000 deaths. The World Cancer Research Fund notes the United States stands second in the top 10 list of the highest rates of breast cancer around the world, with 2022 alone witnessing 274,375 cases. Researchers further predict that by 2024, the number will increase to about 310,720 cases, with 16% of them being women younger than 50. The Youth Survival Coalition also indicates that young diagnosed women face “more aggressive cancers” with a lower survival rate. For this Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we bring to you a powerful and emotional body of work by Anna and Jordan Rathkopf. The project, which began nearly eight years ago, chronicles the challenges they faced following Anna’s diagnosis of breast cancer.
The lead image is by Jordan Rathkopf. You can see more work from Anna and Jordan Rathkopf on their website or Instagram @rathkopfphotography. All images are used with permission.
When Anna and Jordan’s World Stood Still
The year was 2016 when Anna was diagnosed with HER2, a cancer variant that accounts for about 20 percent of all breast cancer diagnoses. On the day Anna tested positive, she and her partner, Jordan, both decided to document their long journey. “It was an instinctual reaction, almost like trying to process the shock,” Anna tells The Phoblographer in an interview.
“We quickly realized it wasn’t just something we wanted to do—it was something we needed to do, and that remains true today,” Jordan added. In some ways, photography became an instrument to process their emotions, as well as to understand each other’s sentiments.
For Anna, the practice of carrying her camera during the appointments became therapeutic, as well as a way to share her side of the story, which, in such instances, one rarely gets to see. “It gave me a way to reclaim my narrative. I wasn’t just a patient with my life dictated by cancer; with my Nikon and 35mm lens in hand, I became the narrator of my own story,” Anna shares.
Right now, I’m NED (no evidence of disease), but I feel like once I opened the Pandora’s box and confronted my mortality so directly, I haven’t been able to fully close it again. Cancer never really leaves me.
Anna Rathkopf
For Jordan, photography helped him to process his emotions while providing him a “sense of control in a situation that often feels uncontrollable.” He adds, “The camera allows me to step back, focus beyond the fear, or sometimes channel that fear directly into the image.”
The photographs, which oscillate between joy, exhaustion, fear, and hope, were created in the duo’s most vulnerable moments. It makes one wonder whether there were instances when they chose to add parameters to their documentation. Both Anna and Jordan Rathkopf tell us that was never really the case. “We set no limits on what we photographed because we knew the intention behind it,” Anna explains. “We wanted to document everything, no matter how raw, because being truthful about it all was the only way we knew how to process what was happening.”
Jordan adds that their faith and understanding have been the reason why they never chose to restrict their journey. “There’s a deep trust between us that nothing we create will intentionally cause harm, and consent is always at the forefront of our process,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean there aren’t moments of discomfort. There are images we’ve taken that make both of us feel incredibly vulnerable.”
I wanted to be strong for you, but I felt so powerless.
I was barely hanging on.”
Photo by Anna Rathkopf. Text by Jordan Rathkopf
For this work, both Anna and Jordan used the same gear: Nikon Z7 II, Nikon Z6 II, Ricoh GR III, a 24-70mm lens, a 35mm f1.8, a 50mm f1.8, and an 85mm lens. To ensure that she has made the images as she sees the world, Anna prefers to use a 35mm lens. “If I want my photos to match my vision, this lens has to be with me,” she says. Jordan prefers 50mm as it is light and compact, and “the focal length just feels right” for him.
The Making of a Powerful Photo Book
Although creating the images was a challenge in itself, it was slightly more difficult to put them together in a book. Anna and Jordan Rathkopf said the selection process was the toughest. It was, after all, about blending two distinct perspectives cohesively as one. “We relied on what felt raw and undeniable,” Jordan states. “Both of us had photos that carried a visceral impact, ones that just had to be in the book—not only because they fit conceptually but because they stirred something deep and felt the most real and honest.”
This direction is further translated into how the book has been designed. “We decided to craft a visual dialogue, where on certain spreads, you see what I saw and what Jordan saw side by side,” Anna adds. “We left the pages without captions so viewers could interpret their stories through our images.”
I want you to feel it.
Remember that I was here.
To know that I will always be here with you even if I am not.
They say our muscles have memories. I wanted your muscles to remember.
To know that I was here and I love you.
I will do everything I can to stay here
to be with you. You need me.
Photo by Jordan Rathkopf. text by Anna Rathkopf
In the end, the series and the photobook were titled HER2: The Diagnosed, The Caregiver and Their Son. When asked why they chose this name, Anna explains, “The name stuck with me—HER2 also reflects ‘her’ and the two people it impacted most: Jordan and our son Jesse.”
Looking back at the images now feels surreal. I remember capturing certain moments so clearly, but seeing them today, it’s striking how much my feelings and memories around those moments have shifted over time.
Jordan Rathkopf
The book contains images that are emotive and heartbreaking but also leave you with warmth. For instance, we see Anna’s self-portraits that depict her evolution as a diagnosed person. The toll breast cancer took on her is evident, but her resilience, despite the severity of the situation, is inspiring and heartwarming. Jordan’s pictures highlight both the painful treatment Anna endured and the immense stress and suffering he experienced. But in between the dark moments, there are slivers of light. The photographs depict moments of joy: Jesse and Anna smiling, Jordan and Jesse hugging a dog, or Jesse’s birthday. In these images, the world of Anna, Jordan, and Jesse is filled with the golden summer sun, leaving behind the long, intense winter.
In hindsight, this journey and the photographs they made brought the partners even closer. “The first time I saw some of the photos Jordan took of me, I felt the love he had for me so deeply. He made me feel strong and beautiful, even in moments when I was at my weakest,” Anna says. Through her photographs, Anna also became aware of the weight Jordan was carrying himself. “I could just feel all the emotions he was going through,” she shares with us.
Jordan, who had not seen Anna’s self-portrait until they worked on the book, reveals that he was ‘floored.’ “They were incredibly intimate—some were messy, some sharp, some bold, and some felt broken. Collectively, they revealed an intense mix of vulnerability and strength,” Jordan tells us. He could also see Anna’s fear during this period, as she may not be there to see their son grow. “It makes me want to cry thinking about it because I can’t imagine how terrifying that must be to have a disease that can kill you and want so desperately to be here for the people you love,” Jordan expresses. “She had managed to document not only her own transformation, but the world around her as it was constantly transforming, and then the people around her that she loved,” he adds.
A Vital Discourse on Breast Cancer Awareness
HER2 is not just a book but will also be showcased as an exhibition in both the U.S. and the Czech Republic, the latter being Anna’s home country. Breast cancer is now becoming more common in young women, with the National Breast Cancer Foundation noting that 9% of the new cases in the U.S. are of women under the age of 45. “When I was diagnosed, I felt alone—very few people in my community could relate to the kind of fear I was facing at my age,” Anna says. “It’s so important that these stories are told—not just to raise awareness, but to drive real change,” she adds. The photographer says that access to fertility preservation, stronger support systems, and mental health resources for young diagnosed is the need of the hour. “Cancer doesn’t recognize borders, and it’s a shared human experience we need to talk about openly, focusing on finding ways to improve care and support for everyone, everywhere,” she explains.
“There is still a space in me where the fear hides.
Sometimes it’s hidden deep, and sometimes it comes to the surface.
I felt betrayed by my body. I was a broken vessel, smashed to pieces.
Somewhere deep, I felt alone.”
Photo by Jordan Rathkopf.
Their experience also led Jordan to establish the Patient Caregiver Artist Coalition (PCAC), a nonprofit that uses art and visual storytelling to help patients and caregivers. “Our goal is to connect patients, healthcare providers, and policymakers by sharing honest, unfiltered stories of what it’s like to live through these experiences,” Jordan says. The organization aims to create a safe space for patients and caregivers “while advocating for better resources and breaking down the stigma around illness and caregiving.” He adds, “Ultimately, we hope to combine art and advocacy in a way that helps people feel less alone.”
HER2 by Anna and Jordan Rathkopf depicts not only survivorship, connection, and resilience but also the “new normal” that many diagnosed individuals and their loved ones experience. Through the thought-provoking images and a shared experience faced by millions of survivors and diagnosed, HER2 can perhaps, finally, lead to real change.
AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT
The Phoblographer works with human photographers to verify that they’ve actually created their work through shoots. These are done by providing us assets such as BTS captures, screenshots of post-production, extra photos from the shoot, etc. We do this to help our readers realize that this is authentically human work. Here’s what this photographer provided for us.
