St Paddy's Day R.O.W.

For the second year in a row now I've had the great fortune of photographing my friend Jenn Gibbon's team of cancer-surviving rowers for their annual St. Paddy's Day Sprint for Recovery. Her non-profit organization ROW (Recovery On Water) encourages cancer survivors to stay active by engaging in crew in order to reduce the chance of relapse. It's an incredible group run by a pretty extraordinary woman. Jenn's a bit of a local celebrity and worshipped like an idol by her girls, but the truth of the matter is, she's a real hero.

Last summer Jenn set off to be the first person to ever row around the perimeter of Lake Michigan in an effort to raise awareness. 3 months and 1500 lonely miles of grueling, back-breaking hard work - a feat I couldn't ever possibly imagine having the endurance or courage to attempt. You may have heard about the challenges she encountered in the news during her record attempt. But even after this unfortunate incident, because Jenn is who she is, she never waiver for a second in her mission. She found incredible inner strength to carry on and complete her journey.

Now Jenn is a full-time crusader for survivors of both cancer and sexual assault. Her warmth and charisma along with her passion for the people who look up to her makes her one of the most inspiring people I know. I froze my butt off this year on the river photographing her team, and I'll gladly do it again next year if she asks me to.

Thanks Jenn for being so amazing.

Go ROW