SARA COULSON: I’m not going to just cower away in a corner and let this cancer consume me.
That’s just not who I am, and so I didn't.
SARA COULSON: There was breast cancer on both sides of my family. I was diagnosed the first time in 1999
at the age of 33 with a six year old daughter and a four year old son. I did a self-examination and I found a lump.
A few days went by and I checked again and it was still there, of course it's getting sore now. I got the phone call
on May 17th and was told on the phone that it was breast cancer.
Absolutely devastated. Our whole world just kind of crumbled there and then.
GARY COULSON: It was a complete shock to us, to the family. The second time was completely different.
It was different symptoms. Of course it took us by surprise. Who would expect after being cancer-free for
18 years that it would come back.
GARY COULSON: Such a shock when the nurse told us that it was cancer.
DYLAN COULSON: The second time I was in college and it was really rough when I got that call.
And I knew I had to try to be strong for her but it was really hard.
SARA COULSON: I wanted a double mastectomy. I am not going through this again down the road.
If there’s any possibility, then just take them both.
SARA COULSON: Chemo was first because it was in the cells of my skin and the tumor was going outwards.
He couldn't guarantee that he could get all the cancer, and then surgery and here we are today.
Going to cover it up with something beautiful.
The first time that Gary told me that he loved me, he gave me three roses and told me that each one
represented a word in ‘I love you’. And ever since then, regardless what the occasion, whether it be anniversary,
Christmas, birthdays, there is always three roses just to remind me that he loves me.
SARA COULSON: We have put three roses in the tattoo and we've built around that. So we'll see how it turns out.
GARY COULSON: So what time you are in there, 10:30 or 11?
SARA COULSON: 11 o’clock GARY COULSON: And you expect to be out of there by
three-ish? I will meet you here absolutely. SARA COULSON: Meet here?
GARY COULSON: Yeah. SARA COULSON: So, for the unveiling?
GARY COULSON: The unveiling, sure! Yeah. This is gonna be awesome. Good luck. I love you.
SARA COULSON: Love you too. GARY COULSON: Good luck.
SARA COULSON: Thanks.
SARA COULSON: I have been cancer-free now since September 14th, 2017.
SARA COULSON: This tattoo is, it’s an expression of myself. And part of it is an intimate thing between
my husband and I.
SARA COULSON: I don't want him looking at this ugly scar. I want him to see something beautiful because
it was something beautiful there before.
SARA COULSON: I am not hiding it. It’s always going to be there and it’s always going to be a part of who I am.
SARA COULSON: Hi. NICKOLA: How are you? Good to see you.
SARA COULSON: You too. NICKOLA: How are you feeling?
SARA COULSON: Nervous, excited, all at the same time. NICKOLA: That’s okay.
SARA COULSON: You? NICKOLA: A little bit.
NICKOLA: I specialise in scar cover ups, particularly in self harm scars and mastectomy scars -
women who have survived cancer. The relationship is definitely an intimate one because there is a lot of trust
involved, of course. So tattooing scars is a lot different than just a regular tattoo both physically in terms of the
skin and then also emotionally.
NICKOLA: The whole process is different because it’s a lot more of a sensitive matter than just any other tattoo.
I started this because I realised that there was a need. There was a need for tattoos to be helping through
this healing journey.
SARA COULSON: This to me is the last piece of the puzzle for healing. It’s been a long road and I feel like
now we’re at the end of that road and everything is just onward and upward from here.
SARA COULSON: My motto now is I’m just living for today. I just live life and I love life.
NICKOLA: There’s a story behind every scar. I don't think it’s always fair that we get judged based on the scars
that we physically see. Because we all have scars whether you can see them on the skin or not.
They are there. People who walk around with scars face a lot more judgment.
SARA COULSON: I am okay with who I am. I am okay with how my body is. If I was 20, 30, then yeah, definitely
I would have reconstructive surgery. But I am in my 50s and I still have a lot of life ahead of me.
SARA COULSON: I own who I am. I own what I look like and I encourage women. If you feel good about yourself
inside and out and I know that I am beautiful inside and out. I have gained a lot of courage and self respect for
myself. Having this tattoo done is just going to intensify just how great I feel about myself now.
NICKOLA: And that’s a wrap! I am just kidding. Okay, we are done.
SARA COULSON: All right. That second one hurt a heck a lot more than I thought it was going to. Here we go.
SARA COULSON: Yeah, I love it.
SARA COULSON: Thank you. NICKOLA: Thank you.
SARA COULSON: For doing it, it’s awesome.
NICKOLA: I love seeing when they look in the mirror and get to see themselves what they look like with the tattoo
and that’s usually the moment where all the feels come out. I think I share that in the moment with them.
So that's my favourite part.
SARA COULSON: That’s good, good, well, intense. You ready? All right.
GARY COULSON: Wow, that’s cool. That’s cool. SARA COULSON: Yeah.
GARY COULSON: I think it’s really creative. It’s very unique. It’s, I like it, I really do.
SARA COULSON: It’s given me something beautiful to get up and look at in the mornings and something
beautiful to look at at night when I go to bed. It’s just giving me a new lease on my life and on our future.
SARA COULSON: Hey, it’s life, this is not a dress rehearsal. We have to live for today.