Ashley Kostiuk was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2016, after discovering a lump while nursing her baby boy. Since the cancer was aggressive, the mom-of-two would need to start chemo right away, which meant prematurely weaning her son. Simply heartbreaking!
Capture Your Moment Photography
So the morning prior to starting treatment, Ashley’s close friend and photographer Jaclyn Briggs decided to grab her camera and join Ashley while the brave mama rocked her sweet son in a chair and breastfed him for the very last time. The resulting images are both powerful and beautifully bittersweet.
Capture Your Moment Photography
Capture Your Moment Photography
Capture Your Moment Photography
“She started to feed him and as he began reaching for her face and pulling away to smile at her, the tears started to roll,” Briggs explained to Popsugar. “As mothers, these are the moments we live for. These were the moments she was having to say good-bye to.”
What an incredibly selfless mama!
Capture Your Moment Photography
Capture Your Moment Photography
Capture Your Moment Photography
It’s almost a year later now, and Ashley has finished chemo and had a double mastectomy. But her journey is far from over. She still needs a number of surgeries, plus six weeks of radiation, five days a week, at least two hours away, according to the GoFundMe account set up by her aunt to help with expenses.
Read more about this amazing mom and her fight against cancer – and see more photos of this beautiful moment – on Parents.com.