When Linda Carey was diagnosed with breast cancer, her photographer husband did the most amazing thing to cheer her up during chemo – he started sending her crazy snaps of himself naked aside from a pink tutu (and occasionally his socks).
"She’d share them with the other women, they loved and laughed at them; it gave them a bit of a break as crazy chemicals were pumped into their bodies," Bob explains.
"I decided then that I wanted to publish a book and try to get them in cancer centres across the US hoping to share a smile during a difficult moment."
And that's how his website, called thetutuproject.com, was born.
While Bob and Linda were keen to create a book with his images, publishers were reluctant to back the project, so they used the website to create a buzz for their project.
The Tutu Project did its job well, scoring the couple a slew of newspaper and on-line articles, plus an appearance on The Today Show.
"A thirteen-year-old girl emailed us after we were on The Today Show," says Bob. "Her mother had had breast cancer and she wanted to thank us for starting a project that would make people laugh. It was written with such love and was so touching, it was a very humbling moment."
Five years on their book, Ballerina, has finally been released.
“I don’t want it to be this precious little thing with only a few copies…I want anyone who is suffering with cancer to be able to see it.
"It makes me feel good to know that I can bring a little laughter or happiness to people in situations that are challenging."
As for Linda, Bob says: "[She's] doing great. She’s still on medication but she lives as if she isn’t."
Check out some of Bob's amazing images below:
