Pirate Boots and Scars

Shannon:
July 28, 2009

To date I have had a total of three surgeries as part of my treatment. I underwent a lumpectomy, an axilliary lymph node disection, and a total of three excisions of the same spot on my right side. Three surgeries later and looking into the mirror it is hard to come to grips with what my body looks like now. While logically I know it’s vain and shallow and the scars will fade over time, emotionally it is a different story.

To a 26 year old woman nothing can kill feeling sexy, attractive, or wanted like three very noticeable scars on one side of your body. Especially when those scars are all located on the same side of the body – one on the ribcage curving towards the back, one on the right breast, and one running the width of the armpit. It’s hard to imagine how in anyone’s mind, even in the husband who vowed for better or worse, to see them and think “how beautiful”. How do you find your inner sexy and get your groove back with these glaring scars staring back at you from the mirror?

My answer, really any decent shoe addict’s answer – pirate boots.

You may ask yourself how do a pair of knee-high, butterscotch leather, stiletto boots with a cuff help you feel sexy despite your scars? Well, as you slide that smooth leather up your legs and zip yourself in so the leather is gently hugging and outlining your calves you can’t help feel a little sexy. Then as you rise to your feet and admire your newly achieved three inch taller height you feel a little bit more in control and powerful too. Now stand in front of a full length mirror. Do you still see a girl with some scars and a couple of pounds she’d like to lose? 

Oh no…you see a superhero – wonderwoman in her glory, or maybe a curvacious, bawdy pirate wench. These kind of women would of course have scars. You can’t defeat villians with super powers without getting a little cut up, and you can’t be a very successful scourge of the seas without getting nicked every now and then by an enemy’s cutlass. 

So yes , my answer to coming to terms with your physical appearance after surgery is an awesome pair of leather boots - preferably knee-high and pirate-like in appearance. All you have to do is dip into your imagination and wallet and the gleam is back into your eyes!