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Health and Wellness
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Well, I finally got my “Vinnies”! Two actually. A pair of the more than 15,000 originals that exist worldwide. Hand crafted, custom designed, color matched to perfection and meticulously balanced. Lifelike. The Real Deal. To clarify, a “Vinnie” is the creation of the one and only Vincent Myers, better known as Vinnie, of Little Vinnie’s Tattoos in tiny Vicksburg, Maryland. And yes, the “Vinnies” I am referring to are, in fact, tattoos. Truth be told, I’ve always secretly wanted a tattoo but after reading my son the riot act for get- ting one and begging my daughter to swear off ink for life, it hardly seemed appropriate. And then something changed. But back to Vinnie. Vinnie is an internationally recognized artist and has been tattooing for over 3 decades. I recently learned that he has a penchant for painting fish and, back in the day, he traveled with the Grateful Dead as the band’s personal tattoo artist. Obviously his art runs the gamut. I would characterize my Vinnies as two of his more basic designs. After all, there’s really nothing more basic than a good old-fashioned nipple. As in: the stan- dard decoration on the human breast. In a nutshell, I lost my nipples along with my breasts in 2014 to 2 different invasive breast cancers and I’ve been living nippless for over 19 months. That may not seem very long in ordinary time but in the breast cancer universe, it feels like an eternity. After several reconstructive procedures I am, for the most part, restored and I finally have moments, even days, when cancer doesn’t occupy my every thought. People tell you that will happen but you never really believe it’s possible. I can tell you, it is. But back to Vinnie. In his 30 years of tattooing, Vinnie has spent the past 15 focused on nipples. The Johns Hopkins Breast Center (specifically, it’s Director Lillie Shockney, a 2 time survivor who sports her own set of Vinnies) was responsible for his meteoric success. Most of his work is still done in his suburban Baltimore shop, in an obscure little strip mall bordered by cornfields. Once a month he trav- els to New Orleans to help the women of the Big Easy, where he was recruited by the pioneers of groundbreaking tissue flap procedures, The Center for Restorative Breast Cancer. Surgeons far and wide are constantly sending him their patients and national media attention has added to the insanity. Vinnie is in such high demand in the breast can- cer community that the average wait for an appoint- ment with him is approaching 8 months. Women are frustrated with the mediocre, one dimensional, vegetable dyed tattoos that they are receiving in their doctor’s offices by minimally trained medical professionals who, through no fault of their own, are not experienced tattoo artists. These organic nipples not only look unrealistic but they fade. So word spread like wildfire about Vinnie’s authentic ink. Nipples and their accompanying areolas are now ALL he does. Day in, day out, it’s nipples and areolas for Vinnie. Do the math…7 women a day, 5 days a week, most weeks of the year. That’s a lot of nipples. A lot of women. Too much breast cancer. Vinnie has become the brass ring at the end of the breast cancer merry-go-round, when you’re so dizzy from all the revolutions that it’s hard to muster enthusiasm for yet another whorl. But maybe that’s one reason the long wait is less frustrating than you would imagine. Unlike the first weeks after diagno- sis, when nothing can move fast enough to just GET IT OUT, this is an opportunity to slow down, to appreciate the doctor-free months, to just breath. At 58, I wasn’t too concerned about nipples. I’ve been married to the same mensch of a man for 33 years, my kids are grown, I no longer wear revealing clothing (ok, so I never wore revealing clothing. Whatever) and I can’t imagine a scenario in the future where it would matter much if my nipples were MIA. I look acceptable in a bathing suit and noone is the wiser. Except me. But back to Vinnie. Overwhelmed with his nipple load, Vinnie handpicked 2 other compassionate and uber talented tattoo artists to learn his craft. They now fashion nearly as many trompe l’oeil nipples in a day as Vinnie does. Again, do the math. It’s mind- blowing. And exhausting. So occasionally Vinnie chills out. He loves to fish and will escape for a day to clear his mind and regroup for the emotional com- mitment he has made to making women whole. One reason I wanted to rendezvous with Vinnie was his map. He has a map of the world on the wall of his shop and that map is covered with pins, each pin representing one woman and where she came from. As I stood staring at that map, oozing but pain free after Vinnie worked his magic, I wanted to cry. Thousands of pins, women from every single conti- nent, dozens of countries, and every state in the U.S. All of those women, all of their stories, some now strutting their Vinnies with pride, other no longer here to strut. It was overwhelming. I picked up a pin and searched for a millimeter of space to plunge it into NYC. But instead, I had to settle for somewhere off the coast, floating in the L.I. Sound. Too many women were there before me. Too many pins. Too much breast cancer. But back to Vinnie. Thank God for Vinnie! I chal- lenge anyone to look at a pair of his 3D’s and not do a double take. He’s THAT good. His congenial man- ner and sense of humor make a somewhat bizarre hour (dare I say it?) FUN. He’s a magician, creating an illusion so that the reflection we see in the mirror is not a constant reminder of loss. His Vinnies actu- ally trick the brain into thinking the body actually looks…normal. I can imagine how it might get tedious for an artist like Vinnie to funnel all of his creative energy into such a restricting endeavor. But I’m confident he absorbs our immense gratitude and he admits he is inspired by the positive attitudes and kindness of some of his clients. His sister is one of us, diagnosed at the exact moment when Vinnie was considering hanging up his nipple needles. He took that as a sign that we needed him more than he needed to stop. Vinnie’s knowledge of breast cancer, reconstruc- tion, patient’s rights, standards of care, surgical skill, breast surgeons, plastic surgeons and NIPPLES is admirable and he uses that knowledge wisely. He knows his place. But he’s not just “that tattoo guy”. His perspective is precious, as he has seen more reconstructed breasts than most doctors ever will. He is well respected in the medical community and makes no qualms about telling them what he thinks (a touchy scenario with ego centric surgeons!).Vin- nie also works tirelessly to spread the word that reconstruction is not only legally mandated for every woman in this country but that good reconstruction should be the norm, not the exception. I don’t often speak about my journey, mainly because it pales in comparison to what so many oth- ers have been through. But after connecting with dozens of women through various sources, I’ve learned that each of our perspectives is unique, important and invaluable. At the right moments, we have knowledge that can help those who come behind us. We can relate. We know. Vinnie knows too and is willing to take his talent anywhere on the globe where he is needed. He recently established a non profit to help the women who can’t afford him and have little chance of ever making it to Vicksburg. The gratitude I feel for Vin- nie makes me want to be a crusader for his cause, to find a creative way to help. We’ll see. Life has a way of guiding you to where you should ultimately be. As much as I admire Vinnie, I dream of the day when he is out of business. When there are no more nipple tattoos, no more pins, no more breast cancer. Hopefully, all that will remain is a sign on his door that reads:“ GONE FISHIN’ “ To learn more about Vinnie and his team or to donate go to www.vinniemyersteam.com or for more information, email me at Terardi@gmail.com MY VINNIE STORY By: Tina Erardi Metabolic Wellness & Longevity Institute "Inspiring New Levels of Wellness" 266 King George Road, Suite H Warren, NJ 07059 (908) 626-9200 www.metabolicwellnessinstitute.com " # " # # " "$ $ " #$ #! ( $ " $ & # #$ "# " %$" $ $ # " "$ ' $ " $ & The Metabolic Code and Weight Loss Program is a personalized integrative approach to uncover metabolic imbalances and to find an optimum path to restoration of health. It is a step by step easy to implement program of diet, lifestyle strategies, state-of-the-art customized nutrients and supplements created to reclaim your metabolism and health. We pride ourselves in helping our patients understand the value of good nutrition, lifestyle and health, and we will guide and support you throughout your process of healing. 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