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In what would be a medical first, a breast cancer survivor and registered nurse has started her search for a “very special artist” to tattoo realistic nipples on her reconstructed breasts.

Fit, feisty and full of life, Meg Gaffney is one more thing -- the face of breast cancer. The path Meg has chosen for treatment is not for everyone; in fact, she's doing something no one has done before. This is the first in a series of exclusive reports.

We love to tell the stories of cancer survivors, people who stare death in the face, beat it, then go on to live rich, fulfilling lives. But it doesn't always happen that way. Meet a woman who died trying to get access to a life-saving vaccine.

For anyone who's ever considered giving up, you have to hear the story of Karen Einsidler, who went from a double mastectomy to a world championship.

Meg Gaffney surprised doctors and friends by rejecting chemotherapy, dropping out of radiation therapy after one treatment, and opting for a bilateral mastectomy. As a nurse and a patient, Meg is her own advocate, even moments before surgery.

Throughout Meg Gaffney's battle with breast cancer, she's marked milestones. But this may be the most important of them all -- the first look in the mirror after her final reconstruction surgery.

A cancer diagnosis can be devastating but beating cancer is becoming commonplace. Check out Growing Bolder's library of interviews with men and women who not only beat cancer but emerged from the battle better than ever.