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Oct 16, 2009 6:47 pm US/Eastern
Good 4 You: Raising Cancer Survivors' Self-Esteem
FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
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Renee tattoos the color onto reconstructed nipples to make one breast look like the other, and does not charge breast cancer survivors.
CBS News
A South Florida woman is donating her time and goodwill to help breast cancer survivors. She is a cosmetic tattoo artist who found that her services are the final touches to restore survivors' self-esteem.
"I know I am doing a good thing cause, I feel good the client feels good." Renee Maschinot is a cosmetic tattoo artist who has transformed her profession. "The first time I tattooed a breast cancer survivor, I just knew that that was what I had to do."
It's what Renee paints onto the woman's skin that changes their lives forever; after a life-changing event, her efforts are a final step in the right direction.
"There was no option. There really wasn't an option." At 28, Stefanie was diagnosed with breast cancer. "Most women my age, at that time, were looking for breast enhancements and I was being told that I would have to remove my breast."
A lump led to a unilateral mastectomy – reconstruction on just one breast. "I had the nipple and the reconstruction part about it," Stefanie explained, "but I had no pigment."
That's where Renee comes in. She adds the color to make one breast look like the other, and does not charge breast cancer survivors. Tattoos require maintenance; Renee encourages her clients to return a year later for a touch up, also free.
"I can't say enough good things about her," Stefanie told
CBS4's Jorge Estevez. "I feel like she is an angel, one of the angels that has been around during the whole treatment."
Countless others who have written to Renee agree.
"I do not think I can come close to expressing my gratitude and appreciation for the skill and talent that has created a whole new image for me," is just one excerpt.
"It made me tear up," Renee admitted.
As for Stefanie, the tattooing puts an end to her ordeal. "No one would be able to tell the difference and that to me is everything that I have wanted, so I feel good."
Click here for more information from Renee's web site.
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