Photo: Screenshot / The New York Times
Tattoos for more self-confidence
He is the "Nipple Artist" of Maryland. Meanwhile, he tattoos thousands of women suffering from cancer and gives them back their self-confidence with the nipple tattoos.
Vinnie Myers is a tattoo artist in Finksburg. Meanwhile, his little studio is known across the borders of Maryland and the United States. Even women from Dubai take the long journey to pay him a visit. Because the man is not a normal tattoo artist- Vinnie tattooed her nipples back to women with cancer. And with them their self-confidence.
Vinnie Myers himself never thought that one day he would make his money with nipples. Today, between 1, 500 and 2, 000 women with cancer every year come to him to have their nipples tattooed. The color of the nipples is adapted to each skin type individually. Customers can also decide their own size and shape.
What sounds so simple is very important for women with breast cancer. All have a hard time behind them. Chemotherapy robs the body of its last strength. But it is not just body that suffers from the diagnosis of breast cancer. The psyche also recovers heavily from the loss of the breasts. Caitlin Kiernan knows this problem. Her life was turned upside down with the diagnosis of breast cancer. After the treatment, she has reconstructed not only the breasts, but also the nipples - the appearance is still not the same. Caitlin reports that it is inconceivable for most women not to have proper nipples. For them, this fact is part of life - until they drive to Maryland to retrieve their self-confidence with new nipples.
She takes her fate with humor - but in irony one can discover the self-doubt of the pretty woman. When asked if she is married, she answers Vinnie, with a dark smile, "No, would you marry this ?!"
The " Nipple Artist" has experienced the consequences of breast cancer firsthand. When his own sister was diagnosed with cancer, he took it as a sign to continue. With the nipple tattoos, he wants to help cancer-stricken women the way to their new lives and strengthen their self-confidence .
His name and profession have become a running gag among women with cancer. They joke with each other to let themselves be "Vinnies".
