FIRST
FIRST THOUGHTS WERE I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO... I HAVE THESE KIDS TO
RAISE, I HAVE A LIFE THAT I
HAVEN'T FULLY FULFILLED
YET.
YET. DANNIE NICHOLSON WAS DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST
CANCER IN HER LATE
THIRTIES.
IT WAS A HUGE BLOW
FOR THIS YOUNG
MERIDIAN WOMAN, BUT
SHE MOVED FORWARD
WITH A MASTECTOMY
AND TREATMENT, HOPING
AND PRAYING FOR THE
BEST.
WE'RE HAPPY TO TELL
YOU SHE IS NOW 8 YEARS
INTO REMISSION, FEELING
GREAT, AND SHE HAS
DEDICATED HER LIFE TO
HELPING OTHER BREAST
CANCER PATIENTS IN A
UNIQUE AND ARTISTIC
WAY.
MAGGIE O'MARA SHOWS
US HOW SHE'S DOING
THAT IN TONIGHT'S
SEVEN'S HERO.
I WAS 37 WHEN I WAS
DIAGNOSED, I HAD THREE
SONS ALL UNDER THE AGE
OF 5.
IT ALL HAPPENED VERY
FAST.
I KNEW ABOUT DR
MISTRY, I KNEW SHE WAS
AN AMAZING DOCTOR SO
I IMMEDIATELY CALLED
HER AND GOT A
CONSULTATION.
DR DINU MISTRY OF BOISE
IS WELL KNOWN FOR
SPECIALIZING IN BREAST
RECONSTRUCTION AFTER
MASTECTOMY. DANNIE
NICHOLSON KNEW THAT
WAS WHAT SHE WANTED.
IT'S A LONG PROCESS
AND HER AND HER STAFF
BECOME A PART OF YOUR
LIFE...
SHE'S AN AMAZING
SURGEON...
BUT WHAT SHE DOES
WITH HER HEART IS
AMAZING, SHE REALLY
MINISTERED TO MY SPIRIT.
IT'S MORE THAN JUST A
COSMETIC
COSMETIC PROCEDURE. IT GIVES THEM LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.
DANNIE HAD HEARD OF
TATTOOING AREOLAS ON
RECONSTRUCTION
PATIENTS.
RECONSTRUCTION PATIENTS. I HAD LOOKED INTO
DOING IT FOR MYSELF
AND FOUND THAT THERE
WAS NOBODY CERTIFIED
AT THE TIME TO DO IT IN
BOISE. I WOULD HAVE TO
TRAVEL.
ALL OF MY EXPENSES
WOULD BE OUT OF
POCKET.
I COULDN'T AFFORD IT.
DANNIE IS A GRAPHIC
ARTIST, AND THAT'S WHEN
AN IDEA HIT HER. SHE
DECIDED TO GET CERTIFIED
AS AN AREOLA
MICROPIGMENTATION
SPECIALIST.
MICROPIGMENTATION SPECIALIST. I KIND OF JOKE ABOUT IT
THAT I HAD A GOD
MOMENT, BUT IT'S TRUE.
I JUST FELT LIKE I SHOULD
DO THIS, AND I SHOULD
GO BACK TO DR MISTRY
AND WE SHOULD DO THIS
TOGETHER.
DANNIE STARTED THE
PROCESS OF GETTING
CERTIFIED... BUT THERE'S
EVEN MORE INSPIRATION
TO THIS STORY.
BEFORE I WAS BORN,
AMNIOTIC BANDS
WRAPPED AROUND MY
ARM AND CUT OFF
CIRCULATION AND SO IT
CAUSED A LOT OF TISSUE
DAMAGE,
DAMAGE, CAUSED DEVELOPMENT DAMAGE. BUT, HER ARM HAS NEVER
HELD HER BACK FROM
DOING ANYTHING. WHEN
SHE FIRST MET HER
INSTRUCTOR...
I SAT MY HANDS ON THE
TABLE AND SHE STOPPED
AND SAID OH NO YOU
CAN'T DO THIS... AND I
WAS
WAS LIKE
WAS LIKE WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU NEED BOTH HANDS TO DO THIS.
MY HUSBAND'S FIRST
RESPONSE WAS OH, YOU
HAVEN'T MET MY WIFE.
THAT IS HOW I HANDLE
EVERYTHING, YOU TEACH
ME,
ME, I'LL
ME, I'LL HANDLE THE REST. I'VE BEEN DOING THE TATTOO WORK FOR DR
MISTRY FOR 5 YEARS...
SHE BRINGS THAT EXTRA
SOMETHING...
DANNIE HAS BEEN THERE
DONE THAT, SO SHE
INSTANTLY BONDS WITH
PEOPLE...
SHE HAS TATTOOED CLOSE
TO 300 BREAST CANCER
SURVIVORS IN THAT TIME.
HER PATIENTS, ALL
PATIENTS, THEY DESERVE
THIS... THEY DESERVE
SOMEONE WHO IS
WORKING IN A
PRACTITIONERS OFFICE SO
THEY CAN BE COVERED BY
INSURANCE, THE
DOCTOR'S OFFICE CAN
SUBMIT THEIR CLAIMS, SO
THEY ARE NOT DOING
THAT WORK FOR
THEMSELVES, IT DOESN'T
SEEM OVERWHELMING
AND THEIR ARE NO
OBSTACLES TO HAVING IT
DONE.
ONE OF HER PATIENTS... IS
SURVIVOR CHERYL
SANDERSON.
IT JUST REALLY GAVE ME A
SENSE OF FINISHING IT
OVERCOMING IT.. I CAN
MOVE ON.
I JUST WANTED TO BE
WHOLE AGAIN...
THE TOUCH UP
APPOINTMENT IS WHAT
WE ARE DOING TODAY...
THAT'S WHEN I GO IN
AND ADD MORE COLOR
AND DETAIL...
WHEN THEY SEE THE
FINISHED WORK THEY ARE
ALWAYS EMOTIONAL...
BECAUSE THEY DON'T SEE
THEIR SCARS ANYMORE
AND THEY SEE
SOMETHING WHOLE AND
IT'S EMOTIONAL FOR ME
TO EVEN TALK ABOUT IT...
.
.
OHHH,
OHHH, OH
OHHH, OH MY GOSH. THANK YOU. REALLY OH MY GOSH YOU
ARE ALL DONE. YOU GET
TO BE DONE WITH THIS
WHOLE CHAPTER."
IT'S THAT EMOTIONAL
ABILITY TO MOVE
FORWARD, TO BE DONE
WITH IT, TO FEEL THAT
YOU BEAT IT, NOW I'M
DONE, I'M BACK TO
MYSELF.
I FELT LIKE THIS IS WHAT I
WAS SUPPOSED TO DO... I
WAS SUPPOSED TO USE
MY ARTISTIC TALENT THAT
I'VE BEEN BLESSED WITH
AND MY STORY AND MY
STORY AND EXPERIENCE
WITH CANCER...
NOW I KNOW I'VE HAD
THE OPPORTUNITY TO
BRING MEANING TO MY
LIFE AND I'VE USED IT.
DANNIE NICHOLSON...
SO... IN THE POSSIBILITY
THAT MY CANCER COMES
BACK WHICH IS ALWAYS IN
EVERY SURVIVOR'S MIND, I
DON'T HAVE FEELINGS OF
THAT I DIDN'T MAKE USE
OF MY TIME AND I DIDN'T
HELP SOMEBODY.
SEVEN'S HERO
SEVEN'S HERO
FOR
FOR MORE
FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO THIS STORY ON
KTVB.COM.
WE HAVE MORE
INFORMATION ON