What it comes to mind when you think of subdermal implants? For me, seeing people using their body as a canvas and doing some strange things with that canvas, left me shaking my head ask myself – WHY? So imagine my surprise when I ended up neck deep in research about these implants and found myself speaking with the very person who pioneered this form of expression, Steve Haworth.
The story of how I ended up reaching out to Steve is a sad one. I lost my dog Lexie to cancer, but Lexie wasn’t just a dog. To many, Lexie was known as the motorcycle riding Yorkie. To me, she was a soul mate. Lexie and I shared a bond I’d never experienced before in my fifty plus years on earth and her death affected me beyond anything I had felt before. (link to Lexie’s story)
In an attempt to find peace within, I began searching of ways I could carry her ashes on me, but my problem was that I could easily lose a traditional pendent and since I’m a vagabond, I can’t simply keep them on a shelf. I began trying to find a way to place her ashes in a pendent inside my body. That search led me to a story out of Europe where a tattoo artist combined ground up ashes with tattoo ink. I immediately fell in love with that idea. I never had a tattoo before so it would be very unique and a perfect way for me to honor her and carry her on me at all times.
When I began searching for places that would do this in the US, a task I found very difficult, I came across another story where a tattoo artist placed one of the bone chips from the ashes under the persons skin. At that moment, I knew exactly what I wanted. Both the tattoo called a Cremains Tattoo and one of her bone chips placed within the tattoo; now to find someone to do it.
The search was difficult. I never had a tattoo so I had no idea where to go or who to ask so I simply began emailing tattoo artists. That was a disaster. If they responded, it was not pleasant, most just ignored me. Then I tried calling them and one by one I was told I was crazy. One artist even went as far as to tell me “You are crazy, you can’t put a foreign substances (the ash) in your body like that” I never even got around to telling him about the bone chip.
Overnight, I went from someone who had never had a tattoo or piercing to being on the fringe of what society finds acceptable; even the very people who were on the fringe found my request troubling. I wasn’t just searching the state, but the entire country. I began to think I was going to have to fly to Europe to do this. I had no trouble finding stories of tattoo artists who had done it, but it was either to themselves or a good client. They refused to do it for me.
My next approach was to simply walk into tattoo shops and ask. About a week into that, one of the shops that I had left a voice mail for called me back. I was reluctant to ask him, but I did. He said he was fine with it and I found my tattoo artist.
Now that that was done, I had to find someone to insert the bone chip. In that search I had come across Steve Haworth and I had emailed him, but I never heard back. I was disappointed as all my research kept leading me back to him. He was some kind of guru with subdermal implants. As I later learned, he was the pioneer.
The day I got my tattoo, I told the artist what I planned to do with the bone chip. Though he’d never done that before, he was in love with the idea and agreed to do it. I was suddenly his Guinn pig. A month after the tattoo, he tried to insert the bone chip. As soon as it was inside me, I loved it. I was not only able to see her in the tattoo, but I could feel her under my skin. Without the proper tools and no idea of what was needed, the chip eventually came out a few months later. Lucky for me, I had also received an email back from Jenna responding on behalf of Steve Haworth.
When the bone chip finally came out, I saved it and contacted Jenna. Steve’s studio was in Arizona, but he insisted it be put into a medical grade silicone capsule before being implanted. I set my mind to finding my way out to Arizona so the master himself could implant the bone chip. This was July 2016.
Almost a year later, I find myself in San Francisco, CA. One of the ways I travel the country is via house and pet sitting. I was in San Francisco for about a month when an opportunity came up that would bring me to Phoenix, AZ. I checked and this was close the Steve Haworth studio. I accepted the opportunity and I would find myself in Phoenix about six weeks later.
Once Steve was finished with a big show in Vegas, we planned on meeting up just outside of Phoenix. The night before and day of the procedure, I was very nervous. I recalled the pain and trouble the tattoo artist back in Vermont had trying to get the bone chip in there. Now Steve would be putting something much larger under my skin.
I was rather taken back when I met Steve in person. He’s a tall man, speaks softly and has a very calm demeanor. Not what you’d expect from someone in this field. I guess it is true what they say about judging a book by its cover, because even more fascinating than what Steve can do to the body is how he, and his father got here. Steve wasn’t just someone who was piercing the flesh, he wasn’t just experimenting, Steve has a brilliant mind, has created the surgical tools needed to perform these modifications. He’s not simply an artist, he is an inventor, a scientist and he does have a background in manufacturing medical equipment.
Steve was able to explain the entire procedure to me and put me at ease. He assured me my location choice was ideal and we came up with a nice plan to execute it. It was my choice to make the incision visible as the scar from the incision will serve to remind me of the scars Lexie had after each operation to remove the cancer. The curve was Steve’s idea to match the curves in the tattoo. Steve is able to use ice to reduce the pain, or in my case, eliminate it. The procedure was over before I knew it. I didn’t watch, but Jenna was kind enough to take pictures for me.
As soon as Steve had me stitched up, I was able to feel the capsule under my skin and upon feeling it, Lexie was once again with me, this time forever.
I’ll never look at a body mod the same way again. I see them today as the pioneers who paved the way to bring peace to my heart. Today, i have more in common with the man in the first picture than I do with most people walking around. We’ve chosen to modify our bodies in a way that bring peace to us without regard to how others view us.
If you’re looking for a way to keep a loved one close to heart, Steve has some amazing options and suggestions for you and all I can tell you is that having a part of her within me bring comfort to my soul. You can reach Steve here: http://stevehaworth.com/
Lexie, you will forever be a part of me.
