8 Women Share the Tattoos Inspired by Their Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Kim Peiffer
·6 min read

Courtesy of Beth Fairchild 

While a breast cancer diagnosis—or the treatment that follows—might make a person feel weak, breast cancer tattoos can be a celebration of strength and perseverance. And while you can’t control the scars that come with breast cancer treatment, it might be comforting to take back some control over your changing body with a breast cancer tattoo. The women we spoke with said their breast cancer tattoos served as daily reminders of how far they’ve come—and they’ve sparked awareness-building conversations. Some put a tattoo inspired by their breast cancer on their breast (or over a mastectomy scar) while others picked a more visible spot. Scroll down to see their breast cancer tattoos, and read the powerful stories behind them.

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Abigail Johnston. Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.</cite>
Courtesy of Abigail Johnston. Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.

“I’ve been living with metastatic breast cancer for three and a half years. In that time I’ve gotten five tattoos. Most are over divots or scarring from surgeries. Each one redeems or explains a part of my story. First I got a frayed ribbon that looks like the Metup logo over the divot in my left breast. It’s all black, so it’s stark and stands out against my skin. It gave me the courage to keep going.” —Abigail Johnston

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Abigail Johnston. Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.</cite>
Courtesy of Abigail Johnston. Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.

“I also have a dragon that curves around my right hip, down to my knee, where I had rods surgically inserted into my femur to support my bones, where the cancer had spread; this hides the scars. To me, dragons symbolize spring, generosity, independence, free-mindedness, and creativity. I’m also right-handed, so having the dragon on my dominant side is also significant.” —A.J.

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Abigail Johnston. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved.</cite>
Courtesy of Abigail Johnston. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved.

“Butterflies represent transformation, bursting forth from the darkness and isolation of the chrysalis, which is not unlike what has happened to me as a result of my metastatic breast cancer diagnosis. This tattoo represents how I’ve burst out of my shell. I have my kiddos’ names in the wings, because they give me wings, and my husband’s name in the body of the butterfly, since he is my rock, centering and grounding me. Wearing art on my body allows me to redefine the scars and effects of MBC treatment.” —A.J.

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Beth Fairchild </cite>
Courtesy of Beth Fairchild

“My tattoos are part of who I am as a woman, kind of like my scars have become. As an artist and as a woman living with metastatic breast cancer, I have a story to tell, and I just happen to wear my story on my skin. I’ve spent my 21-year career in the field of tattooing, so not every tattoo has an intention behind it. They do, however, all speak to me. They serve as reminders of where I was at any given moment, physically or mentally, over the last 20 years, as well as how far I’ve come in life. Some of my favorites are my children’s names, my grandparents’ portraits, and the Hindu god Ganesha—the remover of obstacles—on my throat, which I got just after my terminal breast cancer diagnosis. —Beth Fairchild

(Read more of Beth’s story—and see more of her tattoos—here.)

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Michelle Schwerdtfeger</cite>
Courtesy of Michelle Schwerdtfeger

“I’m living with metastatic breast cancer after being diagnosed at age 39. I had no family history and no previous cancer diagnosis. My cancer had already spread from my breast to my lymph nodes and into my spine and sternum. I got this tattoo because I finished 12 rounds of chemotherapy and I wanted to celebrate. My sisters also have versions of the same tattoo, which my 18-year-old daughter designed. They’re different, but the same. Mine has a triangle for each of us, and the metastatic breast cancer awareness ribbon colors.” —Michelle Schwerdtfeger

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Michelle Schwerdtfeger</cite>
Courtesy of Michelle Schwerdtfeger

“My sister Krista was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer exactly three months to the day after my diagnosis.” —M.S.

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Michelle Schwerdtfeger</cite>
Courtesy of Michelle Schwerdtfeger

“Our sister Jean, who’s happily married to a wonderful wife, has rainbow colors in her tattoo to show support for the LGBT community.” —M.S.

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Corky Corley</cite>
Courtesy of Corky Corley

“I’ve been living with metastatic breast cancer for four years. I was first diagnosed with earlier-stage breast cancer in 1997 and spent the next 19 years thinking I was a survivor. When I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2016, it really threw me for a loop and I needed something positive to see on a daily basis. My brother-in-law is a tattoo artist and he did this tattoo for me. It serves as a reminder to live every day to the fullest even though I have this terminal disease. Every day I persist.” —Corky Corley

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Beth Lockwood</cite>
Courtesy of Beth Lockwood

“Not long after my 40th birthday, I was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. After a lumpectomy, eight weeks of radiation, and five years of medication I was declared cancer-free. My “cancer-free” status didn’t last nearly long enough though. In 2017, the cancer returned in both breasts, and I underwent a mastectomy and a DIEP flap reconstruction—a 10-and-a-half-hour surgery with a very long recovery. 2020 brought another round of bad news: The cancer had spread to my lungs, lymph nodes, and spine. I now had stage IV (or metastatic) breast cancer. It’s been a very difficult physical and emotional journey, but it’s taught me unimaginable strength and gratitude. I lost my beautiful mother to metastatic breast cancer in 2016, so my fight is for myself and in honor of her. I’ve gotten tattoos throughout my life, all with significance, so it made sense to add one for metastatic breast cancer.” —Beth Lockwood

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of Beth Lockwood</cite>
Courtesy of Beth Lockwood

“I wanted something more unique than a ribbon, so this is what I designed. Metastatic breast cancer has its own awareness ribbon—not the pink ribbon people are most familiar with. The colors are green, teal, and pink. The green represents the triumph of spring over winter, life over death; teal symbolizes healing and spirituality; and a thin pink-ribbon overlay signifies metastatic cancer that originated in the breast. Hummingbirds have a special meaning, too: Some believe that seeing one means that the spirit of a loved one is near. This isn’t a memorial tattoo, but my mom is my hummingbird. I got it on the inside of my arm so I can see it every day—a reminder that amid all the darkness, there’s also light and beauty, and I have so much to be grateful for in my life.” —B.L.

<cite class="credit">Courtesy Nicole Luliucci</cite>
Courtesy Nicole Luliucci

“When diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer at 42, I didn’t think I would live to see 45. As I turned 50—thriving and surviving with metastatic breast cancer for more than seven years—I decided a tattoo was in order. The metastatic breast cancer awareness ribbon is the base of the tattoo. The poinsettia is in memory of my father, who grew all the poinsettias for my Christmas wedding, and the butterfly is in memory of my beautiful grandmother. My mother and I got our matching tattoos together. It was a wonderful experience to go through with a wonderful woman.” —Nicole Luliucci

For more information on metastatic breast cancer, visit Susan G. Komen.

More on metastatic breast cancer:

Originally Appeared on Glamour