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To distract herself from the harsh side effects of cancer treatment, Marquina Iliev-Piselli — a 38-year-old digital marketer and �����Թϸ��� patient — started the Glam Chemo Project in 2015.

While she received cancer-fighting drugs at the Weill Cornell Breast Center, Marquina , complete with gowns, jewelry and wigs.

The project, she later told People magazine, not only distracted her from chemotherapy's side effects; it lifted nearby patients' spirits as well and the photos helped her feel better, especially on tough days.

“I’d look at the pretty ones and think, ‘I’m not as hideous as I feel. I’m not as depressed as I feel. If I have to, if I need to, I can pull it together,’ ” .

It was this experience that encouraged Marquina — who is now in remission — to start the first-ever Breast Cancer Women’s Empowerment Project, a series of body paint and photography sessions held last autumn at the Weill Cornell Breast Center.

“My goal for the Women’s Empowerment Project at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Breast Center was to get a group of women battling breast cancer to come together and create an uplifting experience focused around body positivity and community,” she told . 

“By doing so, my hope was that each person would find a new way of viewing herself, create a different relationship to her body, and perhaps make a new friend.”

The women found the experience empowering, and appreciated gathering with others who had similar experiences.

"I got more out of this project than I ever could have imagined because of the positivity in the room and the wonderful women," Marquina told . "Seeing each individual come out of their shell in front of a camera and reflecting this powerful version of themselves was inspiring."

Learn more about the projects at the links below.