In 2003, I was diagnosed with CROHN’S DISEASE, an incurable autoimmune disease of the intestinal tract.  The eight years that ensued were mentally, and physically, the hardest years of my life.  Chronic debilitating pain, confined solitude, hospital stays, doctor visits, blood transfusions and undergoing major intestinal surgeries became my norm, all while trying to care for my children.  The physical and mental suffering I endured was often unbearable.  I felt trapped in a living nightmare, and an exhausting mental battle between the will to live and the desire to die.  Then, in 2008, out of absolute desperation, I had my large intestine removed, leaving me with a permanent ileostomy.  The operation was a last resort, and thankfully successful, leaving me pain and symptom free.  I was blessed with a new lease on life and was grateful to be alive, but was now dealing with a sea of powerful emotions that needed to be processed.  Driven by an unexplainable force, I started creating a personal visual diary, allowing myself to speak through creative self-portraiture.  Through this deeply therapeutic self-expression, I was able to let go of insecurity, low self-esteem, anger, sadness, vulnerability and express gratitude and happiness, among many other emotions.  I was also able to lose myself in fantasy and create a world where I felt safe, strong, secure and confident in my body image.  It is true that one never knows how strong they really are, until being strong is the only choice they have.  The pain of my journey was enlightening.  I have grown tremendously as a person, and artist because of it.  I sincerely hope this collection of my work leaves you feeling inspired and moved in some way.

Rochelle Haisley is a Canadian born photographer. This award-winning, published, and self-taught photographic artist resides in Vero Beach, Florida.  She has a degree from Lasalle College, Montreal Canada, in Fashion Marketing and Merchandising, and a Certificate in Fashion Design from The Richard Robinson School of Fashion Design, Ottawa Canada.

Her work has been published as a collaborative CD cover for an Italian rock band called “Helene's Mates”, and can be seen in a book titled "Nude Close Up". She published a book of her self-portrait work entitled "Self Taken", and also placed 5th for the People's Choice Award in an International Self-Portrait Contest held by “Artists Wanted” in New York City.

Rochelle’s series are distinctively different, and her work has been described as characteristically editorial, edgy, and creatively composed. Her unique fashion sense enables her take you through stylized and intriguing storytelling. This series titled “Body Language”, curated by Marilu Rice, brings the viewer into one of the many veins in Rochelle’s world.