When his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, Bob put on a tutu and went straight for the laughs.
"Excuse me sir, are you wearing anything under your tutu?" the police officer asked.
The man responded, "Yes, officer, I am wearing my pink shorts that match my pink tutu."
The man rocking the pink tutu is named Bob Carey, and for over 10 years, he's been running around in it for a very special person: his wife, Linda.
When Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer, Bob, a photographer, did two of the things he knew how to do best: He got out his camera and his silly humor.
As a coping mechanism and to show support to his wife during her battle, he started taking photos of himself in a light pink tutu in the most random places — no matter the temperature or location.
You can't help but smile at his effort.
And that's the entire point. It's no wonder The Tutu Project has become such a hit.
"When Linda would go for treatment, she would take the images on her phone, and the women would look at them, and it would make them laugh and make the time pass," Bob says about the project.
Bob's been dancing around all over the place:
The photos have been shared and admired all over the world. And it's not just about the laughs they create — it's about how they serve as a way to reach out to one another and show support.
"Oddly enough, her cancer has taught us that life is good, dealing with it can be hard, and sometimes the very best thing — no, the only thing — we can do to face another day is to laugh at ourselves and share a laugh with others," Bob says
But Bob isn't the only one in a tutu anymore. More laughs are being shared than ever before with the launch of the #Dare2Tutu campaign.
Here's how it works: People from all over the world are daring each other to wear a tutu and take a picture of it, tagging it with #Dare2Tutu. They're also encouraging donations to their nonprofit, The Carey Foundation, which provides funding for daily cancer-related expenses like the cost of counseling, transportation to treatment, and daycare during therapy.
You can check out some of the #Dare2Tutupictures submitted so far on Instagram. I love them!
Cheers to Bob and Linda for the beautiful reminder that love, support, and humor really have no limits.
We can all do our part to share some happy, positive vibes with others. Get started!