Published: October 22, 2007 10:15 am      

Women receive pink ribbon tattoos

Cancer survivors seek lasting impressions

DANVILLE — The pink ribbon-shaped balloon floating Saturday from the sign outside Mike’s Tattoos and Piercing gave the first indication that it wasn’t business as usual inside the shop.

Inside, it was a sea of pink. The 15-20 women who filled the waiting area wore the color in big and small ways, from jewelry to T-shirts to entire outfits. They sipped iced tea from pink cups and nibbled iced sugar cookies decorated with pink ribbons and chocolate covered pink peppermint patties.

Each would leave with a pink carnation and one, more lasting, symbol of the fight against breast cancer — a tattoo that featured a pink ribbon in the design.

The inspiration for this unique event during Breast Cancer Awareness month, Julie Salts of West Lebanon, Ind., chatted with relatives and friends while they chose the designs for their tattoos and enjoyed one another’s company. Salts already had a tattoo, a tiny devil with a halo, at her ankle. Today’s ink art would go on her thigh.

“It doesn’t hurt as much to have it done when it’s on a meatier area,” she said with a laugh.

“I had my first mammogram at 35 and it was fine,” Salts said recounting her breast cancer diagnosis. “But 18 months later, something was there.”

What followed was a struggle she never could have imagined, but she triumphed over the disease. Salts has been cancer-free for five years.

Wenda Like, Salts’ best friend since the second grade, was there along with both of the women’s daughters. The women gave birth around the same time and, although they’re not related, the foursome refers to one another as sisters, aunts and nieces.

“They were there for me, going through all of this, the whole time,” Salts said.

Salts’ daughter, Drew Vrendenburgh from Williamsport, Ind., couldn’t be tattooed because she’s pregnant. But she was there, along with her grandmother Lyndall Salts and the rest of the women to show their continued support of her mom.

“I love that we’re able to be here with her,” Vrendenburgh said.

This show of support is nothing new for the close-knit group. For Vrendenburgh’s wedding, she and her bridesmaids all wore pink ribbons as did her mother and Like.

Lyndall said the most important lesson she learned from her daughter-in-law’s bout with cancer was the difference a mammogram makes in early diagnosis.

“I’d had one years before that happened to Julie,” she said. “This made me decide to get another and another.

“My husband is having a fit about this tattoo, though,” she added about the dove with a pink ribbon that she’ll wear on her ankle from now on.

“It was time to do something more to support (Julie),” Like said. “We’ve worn the breast cancer ribbons for years. We thought of a tattoo as a way to always wear one.”

Tamara (Hallett) Pendleton, better known to her friends and the customers at Mike’s Tattoos and Piercing as Lil’ Bit, went to school with Salt and Like. She manages the business, and when she heard about the tattoo idea, she offered the women a discount.

“The prices for these ribbons would usually be higher than the $40-$50 we’re charging today,” Pendleton said. “The more elaborate ones will cost more, but there’s a discount on those, too.”

When she heard of the plans for the pink ribbon tattoos, Pendleton thought it was such a good idea that she invited other cancer survivors to the event.

“We had 27 who pre-registered,” she said, “but there will be walk-ins, too.”

To accommodate that many customers in one afternoon, each of whose tattoos could take 45 minutes, three tattoo artists and one apprentice were on hand

“The fight against breast cancer will always be a memory for these women,” Pendleton said. “This is a way for them to say ‘I beat you.”’