Warrior Survivor Number 2 for P.ink Day Minneapolis! Here’s Deb!

#PinkTattooDayMSP

I’m excited to introduce you to our second Survivor Warrior for P.ink Day Minneapolis 2015! We have selected six warrior women to be the recipients of a free tattoo over their mastectomy scars at Twilight Tattoo on Saturday, October 10^th.

Deb Kuhns is 54 years old and she lives in Hastings, Minnesota. Deb was diagnosed in April of 2008 with invasive ductal carcinoma of the right breast after a routine mammogram. To say she was shocked to get the news would be an understatement. As happens when one gets a cancer diagnosis, she was quickly thrust into the maze of appointments and tests. Her treatment path included a lumpectomy, a port, 6 rounds of chemo, a double mastectomy and 33 rounds of radiation. There was no lymph node involvement, but her doctor wanted to make sure they did all they could do. Since completing her treatments, she has been on Arimidex and will continue taking that for another five years.

Deb has wonderful supporters who have stuck by her through thick and thin. Deb has been married for 34 years to her high school sweetheart Chris. They have three children: BJ is 31, Nick is 29, and Heidi who is 24. BJ married Michelle Henderson in October of 2014, and they live in Minneapolis. Nick married Sarah Milner 8 years ago, just as this crazy cancer journey was starting and they have two of the most wonderful grandchildren ever, Alex, 4 and Jackie who will be one in September. Heidi is in grad school and she is living at home. She has a four-year degree in psychology and is now pursuing a degree as a Sign Language Interpreter/Transliterator.

Others in Deb’s support family include her friend/sister-in-law Sally Warren, her friend Cheryl Hyer, and her Pink Warrior Sisters from Network of Strength – Katy Graeves, Bev Veals, Gloria Hurdle and Suzan Riddell. Without all of these wonderful people, there is no way Deb would have made it this far in her journey. They are her cheerleaders, her crying partners, and they kick her butt when needed. Most importantly, they love and accept Deb for who she is at her core.

When Deb found out about P.ink Day, she knew it was something she had to pursue. She is beyond excited that she was selected to participate this year. In addition, she is a little nervous about the possible pain of getting this first tattoo. She knows her scars are signs of the battle she fought with breast cancer, and now she is ready to turn those battle scars into something that reflects the soft, gentle beauty that she feels blessed with each day.

Every day is a gift and Deb strives to share the joy she feels with those around her. For her design, she would like to have a cardinal as part of her tattoo as a symbol of her mom who she lost to colon cancer. Deb is also looking at a “softer” style tattoo, maybe a water color or a design with delicate to no outlines to reflect her feeling that life is delicate and we need to be take time to find the beauty in all situations and share that beauty with others.  

Deb’s artist for P.ink Day is Alex Gregory. Joe Andrew, our Minneapolis Head Tattoo Artist, knows Alex and trusts her scar tattooing ability. Alex is looking forward to participating in her first P.ink Day! Alex’s work is quite amazing. You can see more of it here. Alex does tattoos at Brass Knuckle Tattoo, which is in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis.

P.ink Day Minneapolis is off to an amazing start! Please leave a comment of support for Deb and Alex!!! Your love means the world to both of them!

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