ROANOKE (WSLS 10) -Â An artist in Roanoke has found a unique way to spread awareness about breast cancer.
Thomas McDonald will be honoring a woman who is fighting the disease with an underwater sculpture.
The sculpture has taken McDonald around 3 months to build.
Come February, he'll be lowering a concrete version of it below the waves in West Palm beach Florida.
That's where model Andrea Torrente calls home.
McDonald says he chose Torrente as his model because several members of his own family are survivors of breast cancer.
"My mother had breast cancer, my mother-in-law had breast cancer, so I thought it'd be good to honor breast cancer awareness with Andrea's face," said McDonald.
Once complete, he will create a polyurethane mold, and work with students at the Riviera Beach Maritime Academy to make a cement replica to be submerged underwater.
Torrente says she's excited to see the finished product.
"You don't know what tomorrow might bring. You might not be around because of cancer. But to know that the image of my face will be there for years... can't explain it. It's tremendous," said Torrente.
McDonald adorned the statue with one tear that he says represents Torrente's 14-year-old daughter.
This is Torrente's 3rd bout with breast cancer.
McDonald says the statue will memorialize her story and struggle for divers in West Palm Beach to see for years to come.
If you would like to help McDonald's cause, click here!Â