A Hamilton woman has had more than her fair share of bad luck, but she's determined now to give something back to women who are going through what she has.
Debbie Casson was diagnosed with a rare type of sinus cancer in 2012. Just four days later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer after she'd been for a routine mammogram.
What followed were operations before she ran the gamut of treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
"They rushed the sinus operation through first because it was the most life-threatening ... it had almost reached my brain. Then I had the mastectomy three weeks later," said Debbie.
While Debbie's doctors can't say for sure it was inhaling the chemicals she'd used in her 28-year career as a nail technician that caused the sinus tumour, Debbie believes there is a strong correlation. And that's why she decided to retrain as a cosmetic tattooist.