85-year-old celebrates health with tattoo
You know tattoos have gone mainstream when you
can prod your grandmother to get one -- and she
agrees.
Marjorie Chissus had a special reason to go along
with the notion.
She agreed to the tattoo idea of granddaughters
Lori Aswegan and Cari Miller, if the tumor that
doctors found in her lung responded well to treatment.
In August, a checkup after her radiation treatments
showed the tumor had indeed shrunk, so Marjorie,
who is 85, kept her part of the bargain.
"They never let me forget it," she
said. "They got a lot of pleasure with their
grandmother getting a tattoo."
Marjorie moved to Bellingham from Yakima three
years ago.
She has 15 great-grandchildren, nine grandchildren,
and three children, including daughter Jane Connor,
whose south Bellingham house includes a wing where
Marjorie lives.
Tattoos are a family thing for the Chissus clan,
working their way back through the generations.
Jane has a daughter, Cari Miller, who lives in
Ferndale.
A few years ago, Cari had a star tattooed on
her back. More recently, Cari persuaded her mother
to get a tattoo, too.
Jane agreed and now has a bundle of lavender
flowers tied with a pink ribbon on her ankle.
Cari got further into the act with a second tattoo,
a flower atop one foot.
At a family gathering at Jane's house this summer,
Marjorie saw Jane's new acquisition and the subject
of tattoos came up.
Back in February, Marjorie went in for surgery
for an aneurysm. In preparation, her doctor had
Marjorie's lungs X-rayed. The X-rays revealed
the tumor.
The tumor was a surprise, because Marjorie hadn't
had any problems breathing, but maybe not a total
surprise, because Marjorie used to smoke.
For treatment, a few marks akin to tattoo points
were poked into Marjorie's torso to help guide
the radiation doses.
With all of those tattoos in the family -- both
medical and decorative -- Cari and Lori, who lives
in Bellingham, said it was time for Marjorie to
get a real one of her own. Marjorie acquiesced,
not sure if she'd be lucky enough to have to follow
through.
Her radiation treatments ended in July. In August,
a follow-up scan showed the tumor had shrunk noticeably.
"It's a good sign for me," Marjorie
said. "It hadn't spread anyplace else."
The granddaughters quickly made an appointment
at a Bellingham tattoo parlor and rounded up Jane
and Marjorie for a drink beforehand.
Marjorie wanted a small tattoo. After some head
scratching, they settled on a pattern. The tattoo
artist went to work. Marjorie felt some sharp
pain and bled a bit. Then they went for a drink
afterward.
Marjorie's tattoo shows a champagne glass, with
pink liquid inside and bubbles bursting above
the glass.
"She wanted it to be a celebration,"
Cari said.
The tattoo is about 2 inches tall, just above
her ankle on the outside of her right leg.
"I can't even see it unless I turn my leg
sideways," Marjorie said. "I forget
that it's even there."
Marjorie feels good these days. She's alert,
active and friendly, with a passion for her weekly
game of golf. She's grateful that doctors found
her tumor early, and that her treatment went well.
And she has no regrets about the tattoo.
"At age 85, it doesn't make any difference,"
she said. "I'm happy because my grandkids
were happy with it."
