Tattoo originally done in Coon Rapids MN in 1998. Three subsequent additions done by Kelli Maag, Terri Huro, and an unknown third artist at Prizm Tattoo in Mora MN.
In 1997, I had a mastectomy. While in the hospital my husband suggested that I have the scar tattooed. My mother was aghast at the idea and made me promise to talk to the surgeon about it. I did talk to the surgeon and she suggested I wait a year to do it. During that year my husband drew several designs and we used a henna kit to try them out, finally selecting the one that covers the scar. My tattoo inspired my husband to also get a tattoo and we decided to give each other a tattoo for Christmas each year.
Even with the initial tattoo, I felt mutilated when I looked in a mirror and, being an artist, I wanted to have my body be a work of art, not a symbol of mutilation.
So each year at Christmas I added a section, sometimes adding a butterfly or flowers. Eventually the tattoo went all the way around my shoulder and neck and joined in the back like a lei. Included on the back is a tattoo of a butterfly that my sister had tattooed on her neck. As the tattoo progressed and we added to it, I began to feel my body being a work of art and no longer felt disfigured.
Once this tattoo was finished, I continued to get tattoos each year to commemorate a significant event during the past year. I currently have 13 additional tattoos. My husband passed away in 2016 and I have continued to get a tattoo each Christmas.