.

East Tennessee women fight cancer with a paintbrush

Amanda Ferguson # State
Breast_Strokes

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Jilliane Sexton is one of hundreds of East Tennessee women fighting a cause dear to her heart.

"This is my first time ever doing anything like this,"
said Jilliane Sexton, who got painted for charity.

An artist painted the front of Sexton's body, as a unique way to raise money for women who have cancer in East Tennessee.

"The way that we do that is by painting women, just their torso, just from neck to navel,"
said Adrienne Webster, the president of BreastStrokes Knoxville.
"Everything is anonymous; there are never faces photographed."

Photographers snapped shots of each masterpiece. The pictures will be auctioned off in October.

"It's just a really incredible, empowering experience to come into this room with all of these women that are brave, come from all walks of life, all ages, all shapes, all sizes, take their shirts off and allow themselves to be painted,"
said Webster.

The money BreastStrokes Knoxville raises will be donated to cancer patients.

"They can use the money not just for medical treatments,"
said Sexton.
"They can use it for anything they may need, which makes this a little different than most other charities."

As a nurse, Sexton said she sees what patients go through. Feeling emotional yet empowered, she's happy to step out of her comfort zone to change lives.

"Being able to help them in anyway you can not just medically, but financially, it feels really good because a lot of times we can't always provide that,"
Sexton said.

BreastStrokes Knoxville will host their annual action on October.