Courageous Kids Show Off Scars in Inspiring Photo Series

As parents of toddlers can attest, kids are typically anything but self-conscious when it comes to their bodies. (Your 2-year-old can’t keep his shirt on at day care? Par for the course.) And Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) is helping them stay that way, sharing a series of inspiring quotes and photos from kids who’ve earned their battle scars after undergoing life-changing surgeries.

The project, touted by CHOA as “the ultimate show and tell,” features 11 kids, ages 1 to 16.

“This summer, we asked our patients—and for the littlest ones, their parents—to tell us about their scars in their own words,” announced CHOA on the hospital’s blog. Their answers were as unique as their journeys, from comical (“I wrestled a shark—and won!”) to profound (“Without my scars, there would be no me.”).

The photographer, Kate T. Parker, served as the inspiration for the project.

“In late 2015, we were elated when photographer Kate T. Parker extended an invitation for our patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to be featured in her “Strong is the New Pretty” series,” the CHOA blog reads. “We saw firsthand the benefits to the subjects on the other side of Kate’s lens. They felt special. They felt empowered. Along the way, they also came to better understand their ability to inspire others, including many people they will never meet.”

So CHOA asked Parker to photograph of a series celebrating the strength of kids. She happily agreed.

“So honored and proud to have shot this campaign for such an amazing organization,” she writes on Facebook, sharing CHOA’s post.

“When these 10 families agreed to sacrifice one hour of one summer day to meet Kate for a photo shoot, they had no idea they’d be participating in something that would have an impact on people all over the world,” Meg Flynn, social media manager at CHOA, tells The Bump. “The photos have already reached hundreds of thousands of people and inspired many of them to share their own scar stories.”

Take a look at some more of the empowering photos below.