A new calendar benefiting patients and research at UW Health | Carbone Cancer Center celebrates the beauty, positivity and resilience of those going through cancer treatment.
“A Beautiful Journey,” shot by local photographer Kim Arneson, features Arneson and 11 other women who have a cancer diagnosis. Their poses reflect how they view themselves and their lived experiences with receiving treatments.
“The goal really was to capture one image of each model where they felt beautiful in a not-so-beautiful journey,” said Arneson, who owns KJay Photos in Waunakee.
Arneson came up with the idea after she was diagnosed with cancer in August 2024, at the height of a very busy time shooting senior pictures. She reflected on how clients would say she made them feel so beautiful and confident, and she wanted to give that gift not only to herself but other cancer patients who were facing the same difficult road. She also wanted to tie the idea to fundraising for research that will help advance new treatments and patient care.
“I thought, ‘What could I do for myself to make myself feel beautiful? How could I give that same feeling to other cancer patients?” she recalled.
Arneson decided to create a calendar that could raise money for Carbone Cancer Center in collaboration with the Aly Wolff Foundation, which funds research at Carbone as well as provides wigs to cancer patients. Arneson’s daughters were friends with Aly Wolff, who passed away in 2013 from neuroendocrine cancer. The Aly Wolff Foundation has raised more than $1.6 million through their annual Honky Tonk Hustle event, with their 5K run scheduled this year for May 31.
Arneson’s calendar models came to her largely through word of mouth, and she worked at lightning speed to take all of the photos and finish the calendar layout so it could be promoted at the Friends of UW Health Shenanigans With Friends fundraiser in November.
“I had two weeks to get everyone photographed and get everything together,” she said. “I was going through chemo, 10 of the 12 models were in treatment, not only did I have to feel good but they also had to feel good for a photoshoot.”
Each image and pose reflects the creative input of the model to help them feel beautiful and powerful. For Arneson, who is the May model, she partially removes her wavy blond wig to show the hair loss caused by her chemo treatments.
“Every pose in there has an impactful meaning,” she said.
Arneson realized as she took these women’s photos that she also wanted to share their stories of hope, so a QR code on each calendar links to a website with each model’s personal essay about their experiences and how they found comfort and positivity in a dark time.
“This is an uplifting calendar. We hope to inspire others,” she said. “Early on, I had someone say, ‘oh a calendar with cancer patients, that’s a sad calendar.’ No, it’s not a sad calendar. It’s about positivity and inspiring people 365 days a year. No challenge is too big, and you realize that you’re stronger than ever (after being diagnosed).”
Arneson feels fortunate that she could focus on this project as well as continuing to work with other clients because of the trust she has in how well Carbone is managing her cancer care.
Arneson also is thankful the costs to create each calendar were donated by commercial printer Suttle-Straus, and the Waunakee office of UPS is donating the labor to mail calendar orders. That way, more profits go toward funding cancer research and supporting the hospital’s wig salon.
In addition to online ordering through the Aly Wolff Foundation website, calendars can be purchased locally at the UW Health gift shops at Eastpark Medical Center and University Hospital, as well as in Waunakee at Simply Unique Boutique, Waunakee Chamber of Commerce, Hello Gorgeous Salon, MnMs Café and the Waunakee UPS Store. Calendars also are available at McFarland Café.