41 thoughts on ““I’m still alive””

  1. What surgery would produce those kinds of scars ??

    Is it my lack of knowledge on the subject of scarring or does that amount of scarring reflect on the surgeon and his/hers technique ?

  2. Beautiful tat- but I have to echo Bejron’s question. The vertical scar on the stomach I can understand, but the horizontal ones coming out from it have me curious.

  3. i think the scaring is more of the individual, but verry well could be the technique. i personally have no clue but it cant be solely put on one person, as we all know, not everyone heals the same…

    personally i think its sexy

  5. I know I’m supposed to be looking at the tattoo, but those scars are just so beautiful.

  6. I forgot to mention- I’m really glad she took something that’s negative (surgery) and turned it into something to celebrate (being alive and making it through). I like it when people show they can’t be broken.

  12. Oh I, oh, I’m still alive
    Hey, I, I, oh, I’m still alive
    Hey I, oh, I’m still alive
    Hey…oh…

    🙂

  13. I think she might have added the horizontal scars that attach to the vertical midline scar?

    Both the scars and the tattoo look great

  14. For those of you who have asked questions about the scars, those were the result of a botched appendectomy. The appendical stump burst, and poisons started leaking into my system. I went into septic shock, followed by flesh eating disease, which explains the long scar alongside the vertical one.

    This was a life-saving operation that produced those scars, all from something so simple. It was a terrible experience, but that’s all the explanation I can currently offer. Even I don’t know how extensive the damage really was.

  16. Halo Miles, an incredible story of survival and the markings that go with it. The tattoo is the intentional icing on a cake made from the unexpected and unplanned.

  17. So beautiful. All of it. As for the scars, in emergency surgery, cosmetics aren’t a priority.
    I’m looking at my scars differently now. Thank you.

  19. As for the scars, in emergency surgery, cosmetics aren’t a priority.

    Heh. This probably explains, at least in part, why I’ve got a rather strange looking pair of incision scars almost on top of one another on one side, and yet the other side’s been opened up multiple times and there’s “one” scar.

    Dangit, I keep saying I’m gonna take pix of MY scars and… not doing it. I suck.

  21. i’m pretty sure i remember her asking a question on QOD about her navel. that’s a pretty memorable scar!

  23. happy you were able to survive from that Halo Miles, the scarring is absolutely beautiful and breath taking. happy you can see the positive in life on being able to have survived instead of looking at it as something bad happening to you.

  29. Those scars look like something someone would intentionally scar on themselves.

    I agree with lilish (#6) “I like it when people show they can’t be broken.”

  30. To goomy. Nope, after what happened, I won’t allow any sort of sharp intrument near my stomach. I couldn’t scar myself so severely, especially in that area.

    If I did, my parents would throw me in a psych ward.

  32. That is just breathtaking. Something about the delicate, organic vines juxtaposed against the scars makes me smile uncontrollably. I think it’s because I want to jump up and down and yell, “Fuck YEAH she’s alive!” I love the pretty, feminine ink laid over something so raw and powerful. It’s a beautiful reclaimation.

  33. They are beautiful but it surprises me that you would take a chance with tattooing or other as you and I both know you are more predispositioned to other bouts of antibiotic rejection..and flesh eating disease…
    however..congrats on your survival instinct…may you live a long a prosperous life..xxme

  34. I was curious about the scar, so i asked my mother (who is a nurse about it) she said that she hasn’t seen a scar that bad in a long time, and that she’s very lucky to be alive, (and the horizontal scars are probably from tension sutures, and bad ones. because the scars are from the breaking the skin which is what they are suppose to prevent.)

  36. Beautiful. That’s an amazing story to go along with the scars.
    I’ve had three surgeries, all on my abdomen, and I’ve wanted to get a piece similar to this to represent that I very well could have died, but I lived through it 🙂
    Amazing.

  39. I’ve seen her before and remember thinking her scars were marvelous. After reading her story, I like them even more. A total symbol of life if I’ve ever seen one.

  41. The horizontal scars coming from the midline incision are from retention sutures that are used when an abdominal wall is difficult to close postop (pretty common in trauma or emergency surgery).

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