HEALING INK

Tattoos saved me from drowning in the whirlpool of insecurities that I waded in after having breast cancer.

I only had stage one but the tumors were rudely located. I'd have to, at the very least, lose my left nipple so I opted to remove both, and both breasts, for symmetry and to avoid future cancer. At age 33, my nipples were replaced with iridescent horizontal lines streaked across the ghosts of my breasts. I hated looking in the mirror. I felt like I lost control over my body and my personal aesthetic.

I fell into a depressive state during the months and months of reconstruction surgeries and I struggled with suicidal thoughts. I felt like