Ami Salmen isnsa国际传媒檛 your average 28-year-old. Not only is she currently first in her group in the national sa国际传媒業nkedsa国际传媒� competition, but she also just beat a very rare and aggressive form of breast cancer.
Inked Magazine is currently holding its annual online competition to find a tattooed model to appear on its cover. The winner is decided by public online votes. As well as appearing on the cover, the winner will also take home a grand prize of $25,000.
Salmensa国际传媒檚 story has struck a chord with the public, and she is in the running for the top 15.
Salmen says her tattoos have helped her to accept her new body, and keep loving herself throughout her breast cancer journey.
sa国际传媒淚 got my first tattoo at age 16, and since then Isa国际传媒檝e gotten so many more. I have them all over. My legs, my chest, my arms, the back of my neck, my ribs and sides,sa国际传媒� Salmen said. sa国际传媒淢ost of them are memorial tattoos and a lot of them have different meanings.sa国际传媒�
She says if she had to choose a favourite tattoo, it would be one on her left leg.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a memorial for an uncle figure of mine who passed away. He lived on the Steeples Ranch, I practically grew up there. The tattoo has the mountains and critters sa国际传媒� itsa国际传媒檚 really symbolic of him and my upbringing.sa国际传媒�
The top 10 will be decided on Feb. 10, the top five on Feb. 17, and voting for the finals takes place from March 11 to 17. You can vote for Salmen
Salmen, originally from Cranbrook, moved to Kelowna in 2013. She didnsa国际传媒檛 plan on entering the Inked competition sa国际传媒� it was her friendsa国际传媒檚 idea. But she says shesa国际传媒檚 been surprised by the amount of support she has received.
Salmen says she would donate some of the funds, save some, and use some to take her best friend on a trip.
sa国际传媒淚 would donate five to seven thousand to the BC Cancer Society. They have helped me so much. There are different fundraising streams through the society, and some cancers donsa国际传媒檛 receive as much funding as others,sa国际传媒� Salmen said. sa国际传媒淚 also would take my best friend on a trip. She held my hair, so to speak, the hair I didnsa国际传媒檛 have, through all of my cancer treatments. I donsa国际传媒檛 have family that lives close by.sa国际传媒�
Salmen says that entering the Inked competition has allowed her to share her breast cancer story sa国际传媒� something she wants to raise more awareness of.
sa国际传媒淐ancer doesnsa国际传媒檛 discriminate. It can hit any person at any age, any time,sa国际传媒� she said.
Salmen has spent the last year and a half going through chemo, radiation and multiple surgeries. She was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, a very rare and aggressive form. The type of cancer she was diagnosed with has a 75 per cent recurrence rate within the first five years. If it comes back, the survival rate is just ten per cent.
sa国际传媒淚 was sitting in bed one day, just watching a show or something, and I went to itch my arm. I felt a hard lump, about the size of a pea,sa国际传媒� Salmen said of day one of her journey. sa国际传媒淚 made an appointment and got in a few days later. My doctor found another lump, and so I went in for an ultrasound.
sa国际传媒淚 wasnsa国际传媒檛 even home from the ultrasound appointment when they called back. One week later, November 26th, I was diagnosed.sa国际传媒�
From then on it was appointment after appointment. Salmen was told shesa国际传媒檇 have to undergo four to six months of chemo, plus radiation and surgeries.
sa国际传媒淚 stopped work on December 15th, and started chemo on January 8th. I finished chemo in April. It sucked. It started with this really nasty drug that they call the red devil,sa国际传媒� Salmen said, shuddering. sa国际传媒淟et me tell you sa国际传媒� it makes, you, sick.sa国际传媒�
Three days after her second treatment, her hair began falling out.
sa国际传媒淚t was traumatic. Itsa国际传媒檚 just like you see in the movies, big chunks falling out at once. Within a few days it was all gone,sa国际传媒� Salmen recalled. sa国际传媒淭he next round of chemo was a lot easier, but I had allergies to it and it made me super itchy. At least I was strong enough to go for walks outside and start to live a little more normally. I also had a full response to that treatment, which is good.sa国际传媒�
Next came her first surgery sa国际传媒� a double bilateral mastectomy.
sa国际传媒淎fter that process I started radiation. It took five weeks, every day from Monday to Friday. The radiation itself wasnsa国际传媒檛 so bad, but the healing process was almost unbearable. My skin was peeling and flaking, itsa国际传媒檚 still really scarred.sa国际传媒�
Now, almost two years later, Salmen goes for her final reconstructive surgery in March.
sa国际传媒淚 was 26 when I was diagnosed and I just turned 28 a few weeks ago,sa国际传媒� Salmen said. sa国际传媒淚 donsa国际传媒檛 have the mutated gene, and Isa国际传媒檓 first in my family to get it. Right now Isa国际传媒檓 feeling good; I get tired easily. My doctors are very happy with everything and my oncologist is absolutely on it.sa国际传媒�
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Being so young, Salmen explained that part of the chemo treatment involves induced menopause, with the goal of hopefully saving her uterus and ovaries.
sa国际传媒淚 had 17 eggs frozen, in case,sa国际传媒� Salmen said, adding that there is a monthly cost to keep them frozen. sa国际传媒淐ancer is expensive. Luckily, for me, my treatments were covered. But not everyone is. It can cost 10 to 15 thousand dollars for each treatment. Anti-nausea pills are $122 for three pills. I had a GoFundMe page, and my friends set up a fundraiser raffle. I was blown away by their support.sa国际传媒�
Salmen also met a new friend while going through treatments. This friend is the same age with a similar form of cancer. Salmen says her friendsa国际传媒檚 doctor didnsa国际传媒檛 take her seriously until her cancerous lump was the size of a lemon.
sa国际传媒淭he doctors told her she was too young to have breast cancer,sa国际传媒� Salmen said.
Referencing the fact that her cancer could return within the next five years, Salmensa国际传媒檚 advice for herself, and everyone else, is to live life with passion and purpose.
sa国际传媒淚 try to stay positive in everything I do. Even through all of this, I only cried twice - when I lost my hair and after my first surgery. But your attitude is half the battle. I thought, well, at least I wonsa国际传媒檛 have to buy shampoo for a while,sa国际传媒� she explained. sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 in a mode to get things done. You just donsa国际传媒檛 know. I cansa国际传媒檛 wait to get back to work full-time. I have so many goals. I want to travel. I have so many things I want to dosa国际传媒 want to be open about my story and want to spread awareness.sa国际传媒�
Inked is a tattoo lifestyle digital media company that bills itself as the sa国际传媒榦utsiderssa国际传媒� insider media. Covering music, fashion, art, sports and the rest of the lifestyle of the tattooed, Inked has made the transition from the newsstand to digital media company, and a brand that sits among magazines like GQ and Vanity Fair, according to Wikipedia.
corey.bullock@cranbrooktownsman.com
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