Catherine Gigante-Brown

Upset you lost your keys? Try losing your breast. Pissed off about missing that train? Try missing your son’s 8th grade graduation because of a horrific infection from fluid buildup in the previously-mentioned missing breast. See what I mean? It kind of puts life into perspective.

To the tattoo artist, I was a flesh canvas that she could transform into something beautiful.

raunchy renaissance woman. multimedia artist. probably a slut.

My husband and I agreed: raising a child with an independent spirit who made decisions for himself was a good thing.

I saw my present mother-in-law in a whole new light the first time she held my newborn son.

I’m sure you’ll find it a delicious and well-stocked place. There are just a few rules

All bets were off after 9/11. In a twisted way, it proved to me that worry was fruitless. No one ever saw the terrorist attacks coming.

BCBs are loud and proud and refuse to go down easy. And quietly. We have things to say. We have things to teach. We still have life to live. And damn it, we are and we will. With one breast. With no breasts. With reconstruction surgery.

Being a little bit chubby is better than being a lot dead.

"I was afraid this thing was going to do me in. But I took a deep breath and decided very early on that I would face cancer on my own terms."