Flat chest, full heart: Tina Martel’s story

Four cancer diagnoses over 14 years took Tina Martel’s breasts and hair, but they didn’t take her voice. And most days, her sense of humour is also intact.

But that doesn’t mean she faces living with cancer wearing rose-coloured glasses as documented in her book Not in the Pink, a graphic illustrated journal detailing the pain, frustration and frequent hilarity of her cancer journey.

A 68-year-old, Victoria-based visual artist and model, her candid and moving exploration — through art in her book and through fashion on her Instagram channel — challenges the status quo in beauty, gender, age and illness.

Redefining femininity and survivorship, she chose not to have breast reconstruction and doesn’t wear prosthetic breasts or a wig. In doing so she empowers others to face cancer anyway that feels right for them.

After two breast cancer diagnoses, on the right side in 2011 and on the left side in 2015, you decided to undergo a double mastectomy in 2019, why?

“I was so sick of going in for appointments. They kept finding lumps and I was having biopsies every four months. I just couldn’t do it anymore. I had time to plan what I wanted, and how I wanted to deal with it, which is very different than it is for most women facing breast cancer.”

Did you ever consider breast reconstruction, either using implants or tissue from other parts of your body?

“Yes, but the more I looked at it, the more it scared me. I knew I didn’t want anything in my body that was fake. I did visit a plastic surgeon once, but my slight frame made a DIEP flap (breast reconstruction using fat from the belly) challenging, if not impossible. Ultimately, I made the decision to have flat closure (surgery to create a smooth, flat chest).”

What inspired you to write Not in the Pink?

“When I was first diagnosed, I started picking up books about cancer. There seemed to be two categories: the medical, ‘This is what’s going to happen, what you’re going to need.’ And the other was ‘This is the best thing that ever happened to me, it was a gift.’ Cancer is not a gift; a gift comes with a receipt so you can take it back!

I thought, there’s got to be something in between that talks about the good, the bad, the ugly, and the really ugly but I was having trouble finding it.

At the same time, I was also keeping everybody updated with emails and I had people calling me and saying, ‘Can I be on your email list because I hear it’s really entertaining.’
I thought, ‘Well, okay, I’m glad my cancer is making people laugh. And I’d been keeping sketchbooks all the way through so I thought I would put it all together and make an illustrated book about having cancer.”

And you’re not the biggest fan about the colour pink representing breast cancer?

“Cancer isn’t pretty, and it isn’t pink. I can guarantee there isn’t one man in North America with testicular cancer who is running around with baby blue ribbons on his shorts.”

The fashion on your Instagram account @not_in_the_pink_ is beautifully styled, but many of your posts are also raw and unfiltered. Tell us about the first time you posted an image of your flat closure?

“I was doing a post with a pair of red combat boots from Fluevog. I had them on and shot them and then took them off. I put them on a stool, took my shirt off and took a selfie with the boots in front of me … just being silly. And then I accidentally posted it on Facebook!

Minutes later my phone was buzzing … ‘ding, ding, ding, ding.’ I looked and here was this picture and I thought, ‘What have I done? My 88-year-old aunt is on here!’ There were 120 comments in 20 minutes. I didn’t even read what they said and immediately took it down.”

What helped you eventually find the courage to post photos of your bare chest?

“My willingness to share what I had to do to survive in the hope that other women would see and identify with it was my motivation. Women like me need to see that we are no less. I am still a woman — with or without breasts, or any other part.

I was offered implants, but not a flat closure. I struggled to find images of what I wanted online, but I eventually did and took the information to my surgeon. He told me repeatedly I would be unhappy with my choice. He was wrong.

Choosing flat closure surgery felt like the safest, clearest route back to health for me. Now, it’s much easier to find flat closure images online thanks to many of us sharing our stories.”

Tell us about using your strength to support BC Cancer research by walking the runway at the Hughes Clothing fashion show, an event that raised funds in support of the BC Cancer Foundation’s Women Going Beyond campaign?

“My husband looked at the footage from the fashion show, video of me leaping around like a freaking gazelle, and said, ‘You wonder why people don’t believe you are sick!’

What no one sees is me spending the next day curled up on the couch because everything hurts. But it was worth it! I would do it again tomorrow. Cancer continues to impact the lives of far too many in B.C. If you can donate to the BC Cancer Foundation, please do.”