"Triumph of Spirit" © 1993 Susan B. Markisz

I met Phyllis shortly after her diagnosis of breast cancer in 1993. Her sense of humor was evident even in those first dark moments. "I'd better slow down," she said, laughing through her tears. "No judge is going to believe breast cancer as my excuse for getting three traffic summonses in one day."

Phyllis had rows upon rows of cornrows surrounding her beautiful face. When she began chemotherapy, they started to fall out, until she could no longer tolerate it. She called me to ask if I wanted to take a picture of a bald lady. She had gone to a barbershop, where she told the barber to "shave it all off."

As she was leaving the shop, a man passed her in the street and said, "Hey sister, I like your hair."