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Breast cancer survivor's tattoo takes back what she lost

WAKEFIELD, Mass. — For some breast cancer survivors, a tattoo is more than art, it's the symbol of a new beginning.

"My heart says, 'It's okay, I am worthy,'" said Janine Fortini.

It took Janine Fortini a long time to say those words. When she was diagnosed with stage zero breast cancer 12 years ago, she opted for double mastectomy.

"It's difficult to think you have something different about you and no one can see it…no one knows it but you,” said Fortini.

The permanent scarring and disfiguration was something she suffered silently. But on Sunday, she took back a little of what cancer took away.

Permanent makeup artist, and salon owner Clarice MacDonald started tattooing eye brows and then studied the art of areola pigmentation, part of the breast Fortini lost to surgery.

"I realized what a difference I could make for women and their life...I really believe that when you give you get,” said MacDonald.

MacDonald donated her services to Fortini for free, tattooing on a nipple and areola, which had been taken off as part of the mastectomy.

“To have her do this service for me to make feel better about myself, priceless,” said Fortini.

Blink Salon also threw in some enhanced brows for Fortini, through the procedure called microblading.

“I want to think that i could look womanly, and I deserve it and I’m worth it,” she said.

Fortini is paying it forward with a message to others who too find themselves in a fight for their life.

"That other have gone through and survived and you can too,” she told FOX25.

As October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Fortini credits her survival to her detection; a routine mammogram spotted her cancer when it was still at stage zero.

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