Page 229 - She's One Crazy Lady!

one having no feeling, it didn’t hurt a bit. I was fascinated. It took a long time but it looked good. A dressing was put on to prevent any infection and that was it – Claire saying I could go for a ‘top up’ in the future as the colour would fade.
This, of course, I agreed to – for the benefits of medical science – so that I could truthfully talk to people who were considering what nipple tattooing entailed. I also, months later, agreed to have my eyebrows tattooed! Now that was painful.
Following chemotherapy, my nails had all fallen out, eventually growing back as did my hair (not everywhere!) but not my eyebrows. Eyebrow tattooing was a new procedure offered to patients such as myself and Claire and Matt asked me if I would have it done – again all in the interests of medical science.
To numb the eyebrow areas a thick white anaesthetic cream was applied and covered with clingfilm. I looked like Father Christmas! This cream had to be left on for an hour or so, so I decided to go to the hospital shop – and loved how people stared – whatever must they have thought?
Yes, it hurt! Every needle going in felt like it was touching bone but I was brave – and came out with orange eyebrows!!! I hope I am not putting people off here – this is purely how it was for me – and can assure you that Matt and Claire perfected the art and made a lot of patients very happy!
Did I go back for a top ups? No.
It was in one of my many conversations with Claire that we got chatting about other patients and their experiences ... what happened next was another lightbulb moment. Claire looked at me and together we said how lovely it would be to bring patients back to ‘celebrate’ their new images with others who had a breast reconstruction for they, the staff, only really saw them at their worst. In unison we said:
“It would be a bit like – a bit like ‘Friends Reunited’, No. ‘Breasts Reunited!’ One breast reunited with the other ...!” We hugged each other. This had to happen!
We were quite vocal and very excited. Claire was such a bubbly person anyway. We planned to meet up again to pool our thoughts – and ‘Breasts Reunited’ was born!
Claire was on a mission to find out how, legally, we could invite ex-patients back and I was on a mission to find a venue in Leicester, both agreeing it had to be a black-tie affair. Claire obtained the right permission and she and her colleagues set to, to write letters to patients
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