Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/734175
Barbara Eash antiques column Page 4A 247138008 4573!O/!Cspplß!fme!Se/!¦!Cspplß!fme-!XJ!!64156 373.894.4311!¦!CSPPLFMEBDBEFNZPSH "O*OEFQFOEFOU$PMMFHF1SFQBSBUPSZ4DIPPM1SF,(SBEF 2TMC@X.BSNADQÿOL OL6DKBNLDSN! /@SQHNSR'@KK-!QNNJDKC1N@C +++++ SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5 2BGNK@QRGHO3DRSHMF@MC CLHRRHNMR2BQDDMHMF ENQSGDRBGNNKXD@Q (by appointment) %QNL/QD*SN&Q@CT@SHNM#@X 2DD'NV&NNC@2BGNNK"@M!DÛ +Character+Truth +Heritage+Individuality+Intellect The FREEMAN INSIDE PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID WAUKESHA, WI PERMIT NO. 3 Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WaukeshaFreeman Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WaukeshaFreeman Brookfield & Elm Grove T H I S M O N T H OCTOBER 2016 OCTOBER FOCUS Breast cancer awareness Family's cancer journey one step at a time ABCD helps women battle cancer City gives nod to ArtsPark at Wilson Center Page 1B Page 2A SPORTS 'Rocky' Blaschke elected to another hall of fame Page 4B Doctor's advice: 7 questions to ask after receiving a cancer diagnosis Page 3B Cancer journeys written in ink By Chris Bennett Freeman Staff WAUKESHA — Rachelle Krischan's instrument of healing is a tattoo machine, and she helps restore what women lost to cancer. Krischan is an artist at Skully's Jedi Tattoo, 366 W. Main St. in Waukesha, and she helps several women each year cover their mas- tectomy scars and once again feel whole and beauti- ful. "When they come in, either they're timid at first or they say, 'Let's do this. I want to take back what can- cer took from me,'" Rachelle said. "You have this empowerment, almost a self-awareness, as you're going through the tattoo." Brock Steven is the owner of Rockstar Tattoo & Co. at 2707 S. 108th Street in West Allis, and is well-known for also tattooing breast cancer survivors. Steven special- izes in 3-D nipple and areo- la tattooing. "It's just been such an overwhelming feeling, and a sense of being able to help people, doing what I do best," Steven said. "It's some of the best tattooing I've ever done." A mastectomy is the clini- cal procedure through which a breast, including the nipple and areola, is removed. A lateral mastec- tomy is the removal of one, and a bilateral mastectomy is the removal of both breasts. A lumpectomy, also common, is the surgery to remove cancerous or abnor- mal tissue from one's breast. Renewing body and soul The procedure leaves a scar — on the person's body, soul, heart; the wound will often run deeper than the flesh. Tattoos can cover the scars of surgery with art for those with scars or by providing a nipple and areola for those who went through reconstruction. Nipple and areola tattoo- ing has been offered for years by the medical com- munity, but it is nowhere near as detailed or intricate as what Steven does. He is careful not to criticize the medical community, and instead points to differ- ences among professionals. "From the medical stand- point, it's more of a clinical requirement than an artis- tic goal," Steven said. Steven first experienced nipple and areola tattooing with a woman who visited the doctor twice to get her clinical tattoos fixed, and still felt frustrated. Steven fixed her tattoos, and helped heal her soul. "She said she felt like a woman again," Steven said. "It's definitely one of the most uplifting moments of my tattoo career. Right then and there, I knew this was something I wanted to pur- sue and do more of." Keep an eye on http://mrpinkink.com in coming weeks for more infor mation on Steven's work in nipple and areola tattooing. Steven works with the survivors to deter mine what they want and how they want the new nipple and areola to look. Match- ing one nipple to another, in the instance of a bilater- al mastectomy, is challeng- ing. It's also a challenge to recreate a nipple and areola for a survivor with a bilat- eral mastectomy. Most women don't consider what their nipples and areola look like until both are gone. From scars to art Krischan's tattoo experi- ence with breast cancer survivors runs an alternate gamut, and she and Steven together encompass the tat- too options for women struggling to move on from an unwanted curse. Krischan said her work with survivors is centered more on covering the unsightly scars left behind by the mastectomy process. Krischan said the tattoo or tattoos that cover breast Submitted photo Rachelle Krischan creates a tattoo with a breast cancer patient at Skully's Jedi Tattoo in Waukesha. Breast cancer survivors are increasingly turning to tattoos to mask the scars left behind after surgery as a way to aid their healing in both body and mind. Tattoos a source of permanent renewal for breast cancer survivors See TATTOOS, PAGE 2A Page 3A Families across county find themselves struggling Page 2A