There was a time—not that long ago—when pain ruled my life.

For more than a decade, I lived with chronic back pain that touched every single part of my day. Walking hurt. Bending hurt. Lifting hurt. Even standing for more than 15 minutes meant my legs and feet would go numb. I had already endured one spinal fusion ten years prior, and instead of relief, my symptoms worsened.

I quietly began to believe this was just my life now.
Pain. Limitations. Endurance.

And for someone whose entire career is built on movement—lifting cameras, climbing stairs, crouching low for the perfect angle, running toward light—that belief was devastating.

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When Everything Shifted

In November 2024, everything came to a halt.

I woke up one morning and couldn’t move. The pain was the kind that steals your breath and makes you scream. My family had to break into my house. An ambulance took me to the emergency room.

From there, I was directed to Atlantic Orthopaedic Specialists for imaging. Within hours, I had answers. My spine was, as they put it, “jumping the tracks.” The hardware from my previous fusion was pushing into the vertebrae above it. My disc was completely deteriorated. Arthritis and degenerative disc disease were compressing the nerves running through my spinal column.

The only option left was another spinal fusion.

This time, it would be performed by Dr. Shuff.

The odds? A 50% chance it would relieve my pain. I did not have high hopes.

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Choosing Surgery (Even When I Was Afraid)

On February 15th, I underwent an 6 hour spinal fusion surgery above my previous one.

Coming out of surgery, they couldn't wake me up. They almost Narcaned me (for overdose). I finally woke up with a team of people standing around me calling my name to wake up.

I stayed in the hospital for six days. I had a walker. I couldn’t taste food properly. My oxygen levels were unstable. It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t empowering. It was humbling.

But something unexpected happened.

Three weeks before surgery, I made a quiet decision. My doctor had labeled me pre-diabetic because of my sugar consumption. I’ve always joked that sugar is my love language—but it was also fueling inflammation and arthritis.

So I stopped.

No sugar.
No coffee (because let’s be honest—it was mostly sugar and creamer).

I dropped 10 pounds without even trying. More importantly, I lowered inflammation in my body before going into major surgery.

That choice mattered more than I realized at the time.

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The Comeback I Didn’t See Coming

Here’s the part that still makes me emotional:

Six days after surgery, I stopped taking pain medication.
Eight days after surgery, I was walking without a walker.
Within days, I was walking a mile.
Nineteen days after surgery, I was back at work.

Most people are out for three months.

But I wasn’t in pain.

Not the old pain.
Not the daily, grinding, exhausting pain.

For the first time in 15 years… I could walk without hurting.

I started walking two miles a day. Then I bought a bike. Now I cycle five miles a day and feel incredible.

As I approach 50, I am stepping into it stronger than I’ve felt in decades.

This is Casey 2.0.

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What This Changed in My Work

If you’ve been to Storybook Studios, you know I’ve always believed that photography is more than pictures.

But going through this changed how I see everything.

When I photograph:
• A senior stepping into her confidence
• A woman rediscovering herself at 40+
• A girl learning to stand tall in her own story

I see strength differently now.

I know what it feels like to wonder if your body is failing you.
I know what it feels like to feel older than you are.
I know what it feels like to think, “This is just how it’s going to be.”

And I also know what it feels like to reclaim your life.

That perspective has deepened every session that I photograph. When I tell someone, “You are stronger than you think,” I don’t mean it as a cute line.

I mean it.

Because I’ve lived it.

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The Lesson I Didn’t Expect

We take for granted the simple things our bodies can do.

Walking without pain.
Standing without fear.
Moving freely.

Strength isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about function. It’s about freedom. It’s about showing up fully in your own life.

And that’s what I want every girl and every woman who walks into my studio to feel.

Not perfection.
Not pressure.
Not comparison.

But power.

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Why This Matters Right Now

We live in a culture that glorifies burnout and filters out reality.

But real strength?
It’s built in the quiet decisions.

It’s choosing surgery when you’re scared.
It’s giving up sugar when you don’t want to.
It’s walking one mile when your body used to quit at fifteen minutes.
It’s showing up for your life again.

Casey 2.0 isn’t just about a healed spine.

It’s about creating from a place of gratitude instead of survival.

It’s about stepping into 50 not afraid of aging—but excited for what my strong, resilient body can do next.

And it’s about helping other women and teens see that their story isn’t over just because it got hard.

Sometimes, the breakdown becomes the beginning.

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Now, I'm crying tears of joy. 

The kind that come when you realize you survived something you once thought might break you.

I carried pain quietly for years.
I kept creating.
I kept showing up for other people’s milestones while my own body was fighting me.

The version of me that was in pain…
built the foundation.

But Casey 2.0?
She gets to thrive on it.

This next season of my life and business is going to feel lighter. Stronger. Clearer. Not because life is perfect—but because I know what it took to get here.

If you’re in a season where your body feels like it’s betraying you…
If you’re carrying pain—physical or emotional—quietly…
If you’re wondering how you’ll keep going…

Please hear this:

Your next chapter might be stronger than you can imagine.

I’m living proof.

✨ Casey 2.0