A black-and-white photo of a person mid-air in a Superman-style body suspension pose, supported by multiple hooks in their back and legs, smiling joyfully toward the camera. They are suspended horizontally in a large indoor space with high ceilings and visible rigging. A group of onlookers—some seated, some standing—watch with expressions of admiration, amusement, and support. The atmosphere is lively and communal, capturing a moment of shared experience and transformation.

“I’m still alive”

Tattoo between surgery scars, done by Kyle at Sin City Tattoo in Calgary, Alberta.

Comments

41 responses to ““I’m still alive””

  1. Bejron Avatar
    Bejron

    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. Whispers Avatar
    Whispers

    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. pillpoppinfun Avatar

    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

  4. lilish Avatar
    lilish

    I think maybe they’re just semi-recent (within the year).

  5. trinityva Avatar
    trinityva

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

  6. lilish Avatar
    lilish

    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.

  7. squid Avatar
    squid

    i think the tattoo and scars are beautiful

  8. James Avatar
    James

    “i think the tattoo and scars” and the girl “are beautiful”

  9. smurf Avatar

    I love the combination of the scars and tattoo. Both are beautiful.

  10. moddoctor Avatar

    wow. that’s a massive amount of scar. Is there are story to go with it?

  11. Court Avatar

    God. I love that tattoo.

  12. Eddie Vedder Avatar
    Eddie Vedder

    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. Ausmoz Avatar

    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. Halo Miles Avatar
    Halo Miles

    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.

  15. Halo Miles Avatar
    Halo Miles

    On a side note though….I can’t believe I got featured on modblog.

  16. moddoctor Avatar

    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. faye Avatar
    faye

    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.

  18. Halo Miles Avatar
    Halo Miles

    Moddoctor, thank you very much. 🙂

  19. trinityva Avatar
    trinityva

    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.

  20. Anthony Avatar
    Anthony

    Intensely beautiful scars.
    I’m still alive too, I just can’t figure out why.

  21. . Avatar

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

  22. scissorygirl Avatar
    scissorygirl

    Woah, that is like… …fuck! They are really pretty though and the tattoo 😀

  23. Valon Avatar

    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.

  24. moof Avatar
    moof

    Wow. Those are far cooler than my burst appendix surgery scars.

  25. wish_I_were_a_dragon... Avatar

    thats an unfortunate experience. at least things are looking up

    tis a nice tattoo 😛

  26. TristaniA Avatar

    Beautiful tattoo. I hope you are feeling much better, Halo Miles. It’s truly is a miracle, I believe, that you’re alive (:

  27. Psyx Avatar

    Beautiful 🙂

  28. Vanessa Avatar

    absolutely gorgeous 🙂

  29. goomy Avatar

    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. Halo Miles Avatar
    Halo Miles

    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.

  31. Teaboy Avatar
    Teaboy

    I’m glad you survived because you’re so beautiful.

  32. Rae Avatar

    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. Sheryl Avatar
    Sheryl

    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. Kym Avatar
    Kym

    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.)

  35. Brian Avatar

    That is absolutely gorgoues. The ink and the scars… and you 😉

  36. Jenn Avatar
    Jenn

    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.

  37. Kale Avatar
    Kale

    You are the single most beautiful modified woman I’ve ever seen.
    Wow.

  38. bud Avatar
    bud

    Scars are memories of where you’ve been, beauty marks of life. Stay beautiful girlie.

  39. quoggenzocker Avatar

    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.

  40. Modernbenoni Avatar
    Modernbenoni

    Beautiful tattoo, sorry about the botched appendectomy though…

  41. SomeGuy Avatar
    SomeGuy

    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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