The prospect of losing your breasts to surgery might sound scary.
Once you get through the pain, there is tremendous beauty on the other side.
Here, 13 women share how they came to embrace their mastectomy scars post-surgery.
Courtesy of Kira Hodgson/@kirahodgson
Spoiler alert: It wasnt always easy or automatic, they say.
But today theyre wearing them like a badge of honor.
I didnt want them, but there is a certain beauty to them: proof of an interesting life.
By Adrian Pereda | Courtesy of Amber Dawn Rice/@feminine_phenom
And sometimes I dont love them.
Sometimes they remind me of deep trauma and intense pain and unforgettable loss.
In those moments, I am learning to sit with my feelings of discomfort.
Courtesy of Casey Somerville
Im learning to welcome and accept my scars as part of my journey and part of my wholeness.
Kira Hodgson
I had my mastectomy on February 15, 2017.
My anxiety grew with each layer being removed.
Courtesy Maggie Rose Hundshamer Moshier/@misadventures_of_maggie
When we got to the last piece, I almost passed out.
Every October I make posts with a message about staying healthy while providing facts about breast cancer.
So many people began sending me private messages.
Courtesy of Maxine Faustino
But overall, I just feel a sense of relief.
I made a choice that ensures I will be here for my husband and my family.
I also love fashion.
ELISE KUTT / Courtesy of Allison Kay Bannister
Embracing my scars has been a long process.
Waking up with a different body after 34 years is scary.
It made me proud to bare them.
Courtesy of Monica Brooks/@the_monica_brooks
Ive started writing about breast cancer for a media company full-time, and I am thriving!
I can help empower other women by loving myself and hoping they will get to that place too.
Maggie Rose Hundshamer Moshier
I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January of 2019.
Courtesy sara Spriggs/@sunshine.autonomy
It felt surreal because I was 22.
I had a mastectomy.
Its taken a lot to love my scars.
Copyright 2014 Jen Rozenbaum/@jenrozenbaum
I sought out stories that didnt involve fear, doctors, or pink everywhere.
I went to therapy to heal my relationship with my body and my trauma.
Next, I decided to dive into my profession.
Courtesy of Erika Silver/@yourpinksis
I switched careers and went back to school to earn my masters degree in education and started teaching kindergarten.
Every day, I get to spend time with brilliant and kind little minds.
Ive had two biopsies since my mastectomy; both times I felt an overwhelming fear that cancer was back.
Katelyn Broad/@katelyn.broad
I have spent days in bed fearing the worst, and times when I avoided looking in the mirror.
But healing is not linear.
It is not always easy to understand, but it is always worth it.
Maxine Faustino
I was diagnosed withstage IV breast cancerin January of 2019, de novo.
We didnt know a person could be stage IV from the get-go, and we were shocked and devastated.
My scars cover my entire torso, tripling after multiple surgeries, including reconstruction, reduction, and correction.
Loving my scars remains an ongoing process of acceptance.
I have a wonderful life and I want to be in it.
Thats what matters most.
Allison Kay Bannister
I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018.
To have the best chance of getting rid of cancer entirely, a mastectomy was necessary.
Learning to love my body and scars has been a process.
Ive had some heart-to-heart conversations with myself by way of positive affirmations.
I say aloud daily, I like you and I always will.
I love you and I always will.
You are beautiful just as you are.
Monica Brooks
Courtesy sara Spriggs/@sunshine.autonomy
I was diagnosed at the end of 2018 with breast cancer.
Ill never forget the day my breast surgeon called me with my MRI results.
I would need a mastectomy.
I was devastated and terrified.
Reading Audre LordesThe Cancer Journalshelped me decide not to get a breast implant.
Im committed to the practice of loving my full selfincluding my scars.
I care for my well-being through rest, alone time, exercise, laughter, and time in nature.
I massage the area around my scar and send love to that area.
And Im a big believer in the healing power of selfies.
Would I live or die?
In August 2017, I had a bilateral mastectomy, followed by eight rounds of chemotherapy.
I absolutely adore my scars.
They are a gift for me.
They serve as a constant reminder that I can do hard things.
I went through many rounds of chemotherapy.
I went through four reconstructive surgeries to get to where Im at today.
Once healed, I decided to empower others by sharing my scars because they tell a powerful storymy story.
Many people contacted me, thanking me for being courageous.
My scars are the tools that I use to help others.
Im going to be honest: Its taken me a while to accept and love my scars.
It wasnt until recently that Ive been proud of them and able to show them off.
Ive been on a long, hard journey, and that came with a lot of self-love and healing.
I also have an amazing support system behind me, pushing me to stay positive.
At the time I was also 15 weeks pregnant.
To continue with my pregnancy and treat the cancer, my only option was to have a mastectomy.
Losing my breast was really tough.
Lizzi England
Jillian Krameris a journalist who writes about health, wellness, science, and adventure.
