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Keri’s battle Air Force Master Sgt. Keri Whitehead has been a military photographer for 13 years. But when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer, she let fellow Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock turn his camera on her.
Sept. 24, 2010
After Air Force Master Sgt. Keri Whitehead was diagnosed with breast cancer, Air Force Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock, six-time military photographer of the year, chronicled her darkest days and hard-won triumphs. "I've had loved ones go through this, but you know that when you are in front of people, you put on that face," Lock said. "Being this in-depth with her showed people that, ‘Oh, my God, I didn't know my family member went through that,’ ” he said.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Media Activity
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March 24, 2010
Whitehead's mother, Leasa Tubbs, hugs her before she goes in to surgery for her mastectomy. Tubbs moved to Charleston, S.C., to be with Whitehead shortly after her diagnosis.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
April 5, 2010
Kassidy Whitehead, 4, touches the bandage covering her mom’s “boo-boo,” as her grandmother watches.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
April 16, 2010
Anticipating that Kassidy would not remember very much about her mother’s battle with cancer, Whitehead agreed to the photo essay as a way of explaining to her daughter what she had been through.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
April 30, 2010
Whitehead shows her my mastectomy scar.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
May 2, 2010
Kelly Ginett shaves Whitehead's head while surrounded by Whitehead's friends and family. She had her head shaved instead of waiting for the hair to fall out little by little because of chemotherapy.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
May 3, 2010
Whitehead reacts as a nurse performs a saline flush on her chemo infusion port before her first treatment.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
June 17, 2010
Whitehead often found that the only thing that would soothe her was the coolness of the bathroom floor. She had been given medication to help her bone marrow recover after a chemotherapy treatment. Whitehead described this moment as "the worst pain I had been in in my entire life."
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
May 17, 2010
Whitehead puts her uniform back on after a weekly checkup with an oncologist while going through chemotherapy. During chemotherapy, she took off just one week after every round of treatment.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
Aug. 3, 2010
Still an member of the Air Force, Whitehead opted to take her physical training test in August 2010 while undergoing chemotherapy. Her military training enabled her to process her diagnosis, deal with the unexpected and press on.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
Aug. 3, 2010
Whitehead scored an excellent on her physical training test in August 2010. After completing breast reconstruction, she was cleared to run again and completed a half-marathon with her best friend in September 2011.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
April 5, 2010
Whitehead empties her Jackson-Pratt drains, which were placed during surgery to remove excess fluid from her chest cavity.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
March 29, 2010
Whitehead prepares to wash her hair. Whitehead is unable to take a shower until her Jackson-Pratt drains are removed.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
March 22, 2010
Whitehead is prepped for her first reconstructive surgery. Doctors removed breast tissue from the left side and put in tissue expanders that will allow stretching of the skin for future placement of implants.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
March 22, 2010
Whitehead undergoes the first of three reconstructive surgeries performed by Brian Widenhouse of Port City Plastic Surgery.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
March 22, 2011
Whitehead recovers in post-surgery after her first reconstructive surgery. She would get irritable because she would often get itchy after anaesthesia, but nurses wouldn’t let her scratch her eyes.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
March 22, 2011
Whitehead struggles to overcome the waves of nausea that often affect her after surgery. "I can remember the first time she got sick in front of me," Lock said, "And I didn’t know whether to shoot pictures or help her. I got off a couple photos, literally one or two, and then went to help her." After the incident, the two agreed that there would be some times that Lock would not be able to jump in.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
July 31, 2010
Whitehead, right, dances with her sister, Teri Vinson, during a night on the town with friends. She was undergoing chemotherapy at the time.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
Nov. 30, 2010
Whitehead lies still as she undergoes a radiation treatment. She endured more than 30 such treatments, administered five days a week over six weeks.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
Nov. 9, 2010
Whitehead gets into position for an MRI exam on her left breast. Shortly before starting chemotherapy in May, a spot was found in her left breast during an initial MRI. The November MRI showed the spot was no longer there.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
Nov. 9, 2010
An image of Whitehead's breast is shown during an MRI.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
April 5, 2011
Whitehead picks up her daughter at day care. It had been two weeks since she has seen her daughter due to her recovery from surgery. Whitehead hopes that this photo essay will show Kassidy the power of determination.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
March 31, 2011
"Instead of seeing vulnerability, I would hope that [Kassidy] would see strength," Whitehead said of her daughter. Here, Whitehead waits for a post surgery exam at her plastic surgeon’s office.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
Oct. 16, 2010
Whitehead, left, Amber Grimm and Chrissy Best put sun strips on their cheeks prior to the Race for the Cure in 2010. Despite having been through such a harrowing experience, Whitehead said, "I have a very, very, very strong military family there to support me. They made it very, very easy for me to go through this."
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
Oct, 16, 2010
Whitehead raises a rose with during the survivor ceremony prior to the Race for the Cure in 2010. This year, she Whitehead completed a 10k and the Marine Corps Ultimate Challenge Mud Run. She hoped to run in the Air Force Marathon in 2013.
Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock
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Defense Department
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