With cause, 24 women sans clothes

Wendy McCoole never expected to be a pinup girl, but then again, she never expected to get breast cancer either.

"I decided to expose myself to the world to offer hope," the Portsmouth, N.H., woman said of her decision to appear as Miss October 2007 in the Breast Friends Calendar, featuring photographs of Seacoast cancer survivors.

McCoole, who was diagnosed with cancer three years ago when she was 42, operates BreastCancerStories.com , a website that posts the thoughts of those who have been diagnosed with the disease. She said she did not pose au naturel, but almost. "I have a piece of sheet music strategically placed."

An outgrowth of Breast Friends, a loosely organized social group of Seacoast cancer survivors, the 2007- 08 calendar is now available through Breastfriendscalendar.org, and will be sold in local stores and medical facilities in a week or two. Proceeds will benefit several local cancer support groups, including the Betty J. Borry Breast Cancer Retreats, McCool's website, and On Belay , an adventure program for children who have a parent with cancer.

McCoole describes the calendar as "an attempt to put a face on breast cancer, and let everybody know we are all OK."

The calendar is the brainchild of Michelle Vangel , a Portsmouth media analyst who was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 33 and has been cancer-free for six years. "It started as a joke," she said. "It was my idea, but it spiraled out of control."

Vangel, who appears in the calendar in a meditative position with her arms strategically placed, said, "I'm the yoga lady."

She said 24 women posed for the calendar, in "minimally clothed but tasteful positions," with athletic equipment or other props representing things that are important to them.

"We want to show that despite their bouts with cancer, these are wonderful vibrant women," she said. "We had a lot of fun with it."

Vangel said she hopes the calendar will be an inspiration to women recently diagnosed with the disease.

As McCoole puts its, "These are 24 survivors who thrived."

Vangel said plans for the calendar jelled when photographer Marianne Pernold Young became a member of Breast Friends. Young shot the calendar at a studio in her Portsmouth home.

"It was a heart-wrenching experience," she said.

"But after the crying sessions and questions, we had fun."

Young said she scheduled two survivors at a time to create a social situation and dispel any jitters. The models provided their own props. "We told them to bring something you're passionate about, other than children or pets."

She said writing the short biographies that accompany the photos was tough. "It was a real tearjerker, but we got through it. It's a wonderful group of young women."

Survivors posed with items such as snowboards, climbing gear and jewelry they made. One woman wore only running shoes, but was posed in an unrevealing manner.

Diane Gibbins , an insurance executive from Dover, N.H., appears as Miss August 2008, wearing nothing but a helmet and holding a bicycle wheel in front of her.

An avid bicyclist who has ridden in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge , a two-day trek that raises money for cancer research, Gibbins said she was diagnosed in June 2005 and is now cancer-free. "The diagnosis just floored me," she said. "I was only 44 and was active and kept in shape."

She said she was nervous when her portrait was taken, but Young made her feel comfortable. "She shot the session in her home and created a social situation that was nonthreatening."

Gibbins said she has a copy of her calendar shot hanging in her home and has been asked by friends to get them an autographed copy.

"We did it as much for our friends as ourselves," said McCoole. "We want people to know a diagnosis needn't be a death sentence. We all came out of this better than we were before."