08/22/2026
So…this wasn’t supposed to happen today. My ni**le tattoo appointment was scheduled for September 4. Last night I was talking to my husband and said, “In two weeks, I get my ni**le tattoo.” About ten minutes later, I got a text asking if I wanted to move my appointment up. One of the available dates was today. Apparently the universe said, “Why wait?” 😂
So today, another piece of this very long journey fell into place. Kara was incredible. Kind, personable, knowledgeable, and incredibly good at what she does. She tattoos, but she also specializes in ni**le tattoos for cancer survivors like me. There will be one more session to add the finishing details and make everything look even more realistic.
And that last session will mean more to me than I can probably explain.
September 13 will mark five years since I was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. Five years of going through hell with chemo, surgeries, radiation, scars, reconstruction, healing, setbacks, and learning how to exist in a body that sometimes doesn’t feel like mine anymore.
There are days when I look in the mirror and my brain sees everything cancer took before it sees me. I’m hoping this helps change that. Maybe when this is finished, I’ll look at my body and see less of what was done to it and more of the woman who survived it.
Maybe I’ll feel a little more human again.
And yes…I’m probably going to cry when this is all finished. Hell, I’m crying writing this.
One more session. One more piece of me reclaimed. ❤️
A Color Story 𝔖𝔭𝔬𝔱 𝔒𝔫 𝔅𝔢𝔞𝔲𝔱𝔶
