This is my sister-in-law getting her hair cut before it falls out from the chemo treatments.

On the surface, this photo looks like a moment of incredible vulnerability. Anyone going through chemotherapy knows this moment is coming, and sharing it is invariably a vulnerable thing to do in an already fragile time.

But I don’t see vulnerability. I don’t see a fragile girl going through cancer. I don’t see loss or fear or emotional weight.

I see resilience. I see fortitude and strength and resolve. I see a woman who said ‘I am more than my hair and I’d rather people see the real me than hide.’ I see a tenacious, grab-any-challenge-by-the-throat, fear-less over fear-ful, ass-kicking woman to be reckoned with.

I don’t see a cancer patient.

I see my sister-in-law.

It’s day 19 of #MarchofGratitude and, while I don’t enjoy the struggles we endure, I am grateful for the resilience, strength, and grit they produce.