Tara Torchia
ABOUT
Tara Torchia was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. During her treatment and recovery, she received areola and nipple tattooing—which is known as paramedical tattooing or permanent makeup—on her reconstructed breast. Tara realized how time-intensive paramedical tattoos are and how much skill is needed by the artist to complete a treatment like hers. Due to the intricate work and precision required, the price becomes increasingly high, and many women can’t afford it. This was devastating to Tara as she personally felt that her post-recovery treatment significantly helped her self-confidence and positive body image. Her experience pushed her to launch Angels Ink Foundation Manitoba with two paramedical tattoo artists. The initiative offers paramedical tattooing, performed by trained and certified experts, without the financial burden to women recovering from trauma. In addition, Angels Ink Foundation Manitoba also provides aid for other medical treatments in which tattooing is appropriate. Over the years, Tara has become a well-known figure in Winnipeg, offering a sense of community to others who are in recovery or dealing with trauma.
Tara has taken her own personal life experiences and channelled them into being an unwavering support to women in her community. She is deeply committed to ensuring that people of all economic means have the same opportunities for treatment and are able to benefit from the same boost of self-confidence that she felt.
ANGELS INK FOUNDATION MANITOBA
Founded in 2018, Angels Ink Foundation Manitoba was created with the goal of helping women to restore their confidence after cancer diagnosis and treatment and to relieve the financial burden of paramedical tattooing for women in recovery. The foundation not only helps with areola reconstruction but also provides paramedical tattooing for other conditions like pigment loss, alopecia, hair loss due to medical treatments and the diminishing of surgical scars and scars left by burns.
