We can’t believe it has been ten years since the very first Beyond Boobs! calendar model was chosen for our annual A Calendar to Live By! Our calendar is also a health guide in disguise and offers a year of hope and inspiration, along with reminders to put your health first. We are beyond grateful to our generous sponsors, as well as the 100-plus calendar models who have graciously represented BB! and their fellow Boobers! over the years.
During the next several weeks on the blog you will meet the Boobers! who were chosen as calendar models for A Calendar to Live By 2017. You are also hereby invited to join us at the Pink Carpet Gala on Saturday, September 17, as we unveil this year’s calendar. See you there!
By: Jamie McAllister
Heather Sweitzer of Virginia Beach was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 after she discovered a lump in her
breast during a self-exam. She found out about Beyond Boobs! and attended one of their events, Beyond the Paddle. There she met Boober! Charlene Cattoi, whose spirit and energy drew her to the group. As a calendar model, Heather wants to continue the message of empowerment that comes from living life with an exclamation point.
Heather is the owner of Regal Renovations, a Virginia Class A contractor. She and her husband Glen have been married for 13 years and have four children: Jaeden (12), Tyler (10), Preston (6), and Silas (4). Here she talks about the importance of family and what it means to be able to share her message of hope with the world.
What was your first summer job as a teen?
Babysitting.
What is guaranteed to always make you smile?
I love being around my friends.
If you could be any cartoon character, who would you be? Why?
Daphne from Scooby Doo. She's always witty, clever, and stylish.
What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
Hmmm . . . It's a toss-up between getting married young or having four kids before the age of 30. Both have been beautifully challenging and rewarding.
What does being selected as a calendar model mean to you?
Being a calendar model means I'm helping to reach young women who think, or have been told, that they're too young to have cancer. Also, I hope to be able to empower those same women by showing them that there is so much blessing beyond diagnosis. It's an opportunity to live a much fuller life and prioritize what's really important.
What was the most impactful moment of your calendar model photo shoot?
My photo shoot was so much fun. It just reiterated the fact that cancer could never steal my joy. My life is completely saturated every single day with the people and things that mean the most to me - the very things that give me fullness of life!