This document tells the stories of three women who have scars from traumatic medical experiences but have come to accept and even embrace their scars. Shannon Swaffer developed anorexia as a teenager but overcame it. She had twins by emergency c-section, leaving a large scar, but she now loves her "mummy scar" because it represents how her babies came out. Brigitte Houghton broke her back in a parachute accident and was told she may be paralyzed. She had extensive spinal fusion surgery, leaving long scars, but is thankful that because of her surgery and scars she can walk instead of use a wheelchair. Amy Bath had a mastectomy

1. Used to be
anorexic
A
fter years of
battling anorexia
Shannon Swaffer,
36, would never
wear a bikini
– until she had her twins by
emergency caesarean.
“My caesarean scar is bright
red, at least 15cm long and
puckered at the sides. It’s ugly
– but I love it. My babies came
out of that scar, so it is very
precious. It also shows I’ve
come to accept the way I look.
“I developed anorexia when
I was 12, and I starved myself
on and off for years. I plunged
to a size six and had therapy
before finally eating and feeling
better about myself.
Babies in trouble
“I was a size 10 when I met
my husband Alastair, and
started trying for a baby. Five
years later I finally became
pregnant with twins. It was
like winning the lottery.
“During a routine test, doctors
announced they thought the
baby girl had Down’s syndrome.
I cried when they later told us
she didn’t have it. I became very
ill during the pregnancy. My
kidneys started failing, so did
my bladder. At 36 weeks a scan
showed I had hardly any
amniotic fluid in the womb.
“The twins had to be
delivered immediately. I was so
scared. Fraser and Charlotte
were delivered safely by
emergency caesarean.
turning point
“When I first saw my scar
I thought it was awful.
The last thing I needed was
a flabby mummy tummy
with a giant scar across it.
“On holiday, Alastair
persuaded me to wear a bikini.
Then a friend spotted one of my
photographs in the bikini and
said, ‘I can’t believe two little
wonderful people came out of
that scar.’ It changed the way
I saw the scar and my body.
“From then on I’ve loved
showing off my scar. I’m no
longer ashamed of it. It gave
me a family I adore. It’s my
mummy scar – and I don’t
care who sees it.” wd
‘It’s ugly but
I love it. My
babies came
out of that
scar – it is
precious’
of my
body
at last’
‘I’m
proud
You’vejustmademyDay Woman’s Day 3938 Woman’s Day You’vejustmademyDay
These three
women tell us
why they’re
proud to show
off their bodies
text:karenpasqualijones.
pictures:natmags.
Real
B
rigitte Houghton, 41,
thought she’d be
in a wheelchair
for the rest of her
life after breaking
her back – until she had
a major operation.
“My scars dominate my body.
One is over 21cm long – the
entire length – and the other
is across my side. But if it
wasn’t for that horrific
scar I would be trapped
in a wheelchair.
“I broke my
back doing a
parachute jump
with a charity
group. I was
supposed to
glide in and
land on my
feet, but
the wind
changed
and my
We learned to
love our scars
Badges of courage
Cancer
survivor
just
one
breast’
me scar tissue’ ‘I’m still
sexy with
‘My husband calls
‘My scars
prove I’m
lucky’
parachute folded in on me. I fell
out of the sky the equivalent
distance of a two-storey house
and landed on my back.
“There was the most
horrendous crack as I landed,
and I couldn’t feel my legs at
all. I was 22 and thought I’d
never walk again. My fifth
vertebrae had shattered with
the impact.
“My spinal cord was crushed.
The doctor told me if I’d tried to
get up from the fall it would
have snapped and I would have
been in a wheelchair for the
rest of my life.
“I needed surgery to graft
my left hipbone in to fuse the
bones and Harrington rods to
strengthen my back.The
operation took hours and the
scar was horrendous.
mirror challenge
“I did look at my scar in the
mirror when I showered and
I didn’t hate it, even though it
was red and jagged. It showed
I was a survivor. My husband
loves my scars. His nickname
for me is ‘Scar Tissue’.
“I was scared I might never
be able to have a child, but my
back was fine when I became
pregnant with Danielle,
who’s now 14. I had to have
a caesarean, and that just
added to my scars.Then I had
a hysterectomy, so that was
another one.
“I’m not ashamed of any of
them – I’m more self-conscious
about my weight. I was slim
and active before the accident,
but I couldn’t do a lot of sports
afterwards, so my weight has
crept up and I’m now a size 24.
“But I’d rather be chubby
and covered in scars than in
a wheelchair. I’m lucky and my
scars prove it. It’s my favourite
part of me now.” wd
‘Healthy
& happy’
15cm
caesarean
scar
S
ingle mum Amy
Bath, 43, juggles
looking after her
two children
Millie, 17, and
Peter, 13, with running her
Internet business selling
pretty mastectomy bras.
“I went to my doctor only
because I had the most vivid
dream that I had breast
cancer.That dream saved
my life. My GP sent me for
a mammogram and a scan,
and doctors later found my
entire breast was cancerous.
“I cried the night before
my mastectomy and took a
picture of myself topless so
that I would remember what
I looked like with both my
breasts. I was a 32B.
“To me, my femininity was
wrapped up with my breasts,
and I was grieving for what
I was going to lose.
Post-op dread
“I didn’t recognise myself
when my bandages came off
three days later.The scar was
big and bright red. I thought
I looked ugly. Now I know
that was stupid as I could
have lost a lot more – my life.
I couldn’t wear a prosthetic
breast because my skin was
burned by the radiotherapy,
so I wore baggy tops.
“But as I recovered I wanted
to look feminine again, and
went looking for pretty bras and
a swimsuit to wear on holiday.
I couldn’t find anything but
granny underwear. I eventually
found someone in France who
made the most beautiful
mastectomy lingerie, and an
Australian swimwear company.
business idea
“I adapted the swimming
costume and felt sexy lying
by the pool. I realised other
women who’d had mastectomies
would be hunting for pretty
lingerie and swimwear too,
so I persuaded the companies
to let me sell it on my own site.
“It’s three years since I had my
breast removed and I’m healthy
and happy. My scar is not going
to fade but it’s a part of me.
“It might not be beautiful but,
by showing it, I’m proving that
breast cancer survivors are
strong, normal women. It’s
my badge of honour.” wd
life