It was cancer that last left a mark on Kim's body.
"It's hard to look at. It's hard to look at the scars," she said.
The scars are from a bilateral mastectomy four years ago. Kim Santomango decided to not let breast cancer have the last word on her body.
She and five other breast cancer survivors got tattoos over their scars on Wednesday at All Sacred Tattoo Studio in Denver.
"Healing artwork," Karen Richards said. She's a director for P.Ink, an organization that connects breast cancer survivors with tattoo artists.
"It transforms these women," she said. "It helps them reestablish a relationship with the mirror where they saw something ugly, with maybe some reminders of a time that was not a good time in their lives."
After hours of being tattooed on, each woman took a moment to look in the mirror as friends, family, and artists gathered around.
“To see their faces just light up and their eyes well up with tears when they finally see the finished piece, it’s really an amazing, emotional moment,” Richards said.
Tears and never-ending thank yous were shared as the women embraced their tattoo artists.
"When I look in the mirror again, I can look at the mirror," Santomango said.
