• by Danielle Oster , Yesterday

For cancer survivors who have undergone radiation therapy, treatment comes with marks that can be lasting reminders of the process.

Fuck Cancer, a nonprofit organization focused on advancing health equity through early detection and prevention programs, teamed up with creative agency Mischief @ No Fixed Address for “The Mark of Life.” The initiative recruited top tattoo artists to transform cancer survivors’ radiation marks into custom tattoos designed to act as “symbols of hope and strength,” free of charge.

More than 50% of cancer patients receive some form of radiation therapy, according to the World Health Organization. Often,the radiation therapy process requires the use of tattoo-like ink marks to ensure accuracy during the treatment.

A study in “The Breast Journal” found that around 70% of women who received breast cancer radiotherapy marks reported having negative feelings about them, and that 78% of patients would prefer treatment that avoids the marks, even if it meant they had to travel further to receive care.

"It was scary as hell," Abbe, a cancer survivor who was the first recipient of a “Mark of Life” tattoo, said in a statement. "Cancer takes a lot out of you — and gives you a lot you didn't ask for: scars, trauma, fear. My radiation marks were a constant reminder of that. But I started to think about cancer as a teacher. Every day became precious. That's what I had my tattoo reflect. These are the reminders that belong on your body."

A campaign video entitled “The Mark of Life: Redesigning Marks of Survival into Symbols of Inspiration” mixes documentary-style footage and animation to explain the impact of radiation marks, and show how a “Mark of Life” tattoo helps  survivors “Reclaim it. Redesign it. Redefine it.” The video ends by directing viewers to a “The Mark of Life” landing page, where they can make donations, survivors can learn about how to get their own tattoo, and tattoo artists or shops can learn about how to get involved with the initiative.

The initiative isn’t the only program offered by Fuck Cancer designed around the transformative power of the tattoo. A “Personal Ink” program founded by experience designer Noel Franus in 2013, which became a Fuck Cancer program in 2019, is designed to help breast cancer survivors “reclaim their body” by transforming mastectomy scars.

The origins of the concept for “The Mark Of Life” emerged out of Mischief @ No Fixed Address a couple of years ago, growing out of personal experience.

"Two years ago, my friend and colleague was devastated by his aunt's passing. She had received radiation marks during treatment, and as we heard stories from others with a similar experience, the project began to take shape," Mischief Associate Creative Director Vanessa de Beaumont said in a statement. "By the end of that afternoon, ‘The Mark of Life” was a dozen-page deck and it's only grown from there. Everyone involved has their own relationship with cancer, which makes this project so special."