"I lost my hair to cancer and got a giant tattoo on my head as a 'F you' to the disease"
- 11 months ago
A woman who lost her hair to stage four cancer at just 25 had a sun tattooed on her head as a "f*ck you" to the disease.
Madison Baloy was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma cancer - which forms in the glandular tissue - in March 2023 after experiencing stomach aches for a year.
The former kinder garden teacher was at a music concert with her friends in June 2022 when she started experiencing stomach aches.
Over the course of 2022, she lost 60lbs and her tummy pain become more consistent, but she didn't think anything of it.
Madison was teaching in her classroom when she started feeling nauseous and called in the school nurse who told her to go to the emergency room.
Madison was told she might have cancer and underwent a CT scan at, HCA Florida Brandon Hospital, Florida, which revealed a cluster tumours pushing down on her large intestine - causing the stomach aches.
After an emergency surgery and a biopsy in February 2023, Madison was diagnosed with stage four adenocarcinoma cancer in March 2023.
Her cancer can be managed but not cured so she will be living with the disease for the rest of her life.
In what she describes as a "f*ck you" to the disease, Madison got a sun tattoo on her head - after losing her hair to the disease.
The tattoo took an hour to complete with Madison saying it wasn't painful.
Madison, a former kinder garden teacher - who had to give up work due to her illness - from Tampa, Florida, US, said: "Some of my attitude towards cancer is probably naivety - being 25 and not being able to come to terms with being terminal.
"In America, we idolise hustle culture and I was heavily into that culture and prioritised being the best teacher I could.
"My diagnosis had made me idolise things differently.
When she received her diagnosis, Madison was surrounded by her family and decided to make light of the situation.
"When I got my diagnosis, my family was with me, and I thought I was going to be told I had Crohn's disease.
"My surgeon comes in - wearing his street clothes - and I started joking that he was handsome.
"He is looking very serious, and he comes to sit on the edge of the bed, and I told him to buy me dinner first.
"He then told me I have stage four cancer and I said I didn't understand why people were crying as I am gonna get the coolest head tattoo ever."
Madison got her head tattoo on May 4, 2023.
She said: "I called my tattoo guy, Nick, and asked about his availability.
"I decided on what I would get the night before, I wanted the sun on my head.
"I don't know where I was coming from, but I wanted to get something happy."
Madison Baloy was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma cancer - which forms in the glandular tissue - in March 2023 after experiencing stomach aches for a year.
The former kinder garden teacher was at a music concert with her friends in June 2022 when she started experiencing stomach aches.
Over the course of 2022, she lost 60lbs and her tummy pain become more consistent, but she didn't think anything of it.
Madison was teaching in her classroom when she started feeling nauseous and called in the school nurse who told her to go to the emergency room.
Madison was told she might have cancer and underwent a CT scan at, HCA Florida Brandon Hospital, Florida, which revealed a cluster tumours pushing down on her large intestine - causing the stomach aches.
After an emergency surgery and a biopsy in February 2023, Madison was diagnosed with stage four adenocarcinoma cancer in March 2023.
Her cancer can be managed but not cured so she will be living with the disease for the rest of her life.
In what she describes as a "f*ck you" to the disease, Madison got a sun tattoo on her head - after losing her hair to the disease.
The tattoo took an hour to complete with Madison saying it wasn't painful.
Madison, a former kinder garden teacher - who had to give up work due to her illness - from Tampa, Florida, US, said: "Some of my attitude towards cancer is probably naivety - being 25 and not being able to come to terms with being terminal.
"In America, we idolise hustle culture and I was heavily into that culture and prioritised being the best teacher I could.
"My diagnosis had made me idolise things differently.
When she received her diagnosis, Madison was surrounded by her family and decided to make light of the situation.
"When I got my diagnosis, my family was with me, and I thought I was going to be told I had Crohn's disease.
"My surgeon comes in - wearing his street clothes - and I started joking that he was handsome.
"He is looking very serious, and he comes to sit on the edge of the bed, and I told him to buy me dinner first.
"He then told me I have stage four cancer and I said I didn't understand why people were crying as I am gonna get the coolest head tattoo ever."
Madison got her head tattoo on May 4, 2023.
She said: "I called my tattoo guy, Nick, and asked about his availability.
"I decided on what I would get the night before, I wanted the sun on my head.
"I don't know where I was coming from, but I wanted to get something happy."