New piercings helped me feel like a breast cancer survivor
Everyone’s journey is different.
I got my ears pierced when I was about seven years old after begging my mom for months. I didn’t even wince when whoever did the actual piercing came at me with that gun (probably at a place like Claire’s or a kiosk in the mall, I can’t remember that part) and didn’t cry either. I got my second hole on the left side in high school, and my mom and I went together so she could get a third. (Apparently this was more of a bonding experience than I realized at the time.)
I was perfectly content with my two holes on the left and one on the right for decades—but I started wanting more about five years ago. The thing was, I couldn’t get them because of the annual MRIs I started when I was 25 due to my mom’s breast cancer diagnosis when she was 30. (BTW, I’m 46 now.)
When you get an MRI, you have to take all of your jewelry off. Since you need to give piercings at least four months to heal (without taking them out), this would have required meticulous timing that I just couldn’t deal with. What if I suddenly found a lump that had to checked out ASAP?
Fast-forward to the spring of 2023 when I was approaching my two-year “healthy” anniversary. I had a fun solo trip to New York City planned to spend time with my bestest friends from childhood and college (and go to a Depeche Mode concert—had to throw that in there). At some point I decided that getting more ear piercings would be part of my anniversary celebration since for the first time in 20 years, I had no MRIs, surgeries or anything else preventing me from finally getting them.
I finally got those piercings at Studs on the Upper East Side (with my college roommates) on April 15, two years and two days after my mastectomy—a third on my left and a second on my right. I actually wanted to get more but Studs has strict rules about two piercings per appointment, and you can’t go back for two months. (I actually tried to take an extra appointment I booked to get four new piercings but no dice.)
Then, last weekend, I hit up Studs in Miami for another round with another bestie who thankfully lives around the corner from me. I got a “stacked lobe” on the left, which creates a triangle with the first and second holes. (See photo). I also got a third hole on my right.
It feels AMAZING to finally have the freedom to do whatever the f*ck I want with and to my body. I was held hostage by MRIs for 20 years, and now I can get pierced whenever (aside from Studs two-month policy) and wherever I want (not that I’m interested in going beyond my ears).
With all this said, I think I’m done after this latest round. But even if I decide not to get anymore piercings, I’ll always be a breast cancer survivor.