Equal Fashion Magazine Vol 4-2016
Heather Mclean
I am a single mother with three
beautiful children. I work in a
private day nursery.
My main interest was training in the gym
where I used to compete at a high level.
My world revolved around training, dieting
and competing! I loved it, although the
judges didn't appreciate the tattoos and
shaved head! In that world they mark you
down for being different.
Unfortunately my first love was taken
from me when I was diagnosed with a very
rare muscle wasting disease.
Dermatomyositis. I lost three stone of
muscle in less than a year. It was a giant
kick in the guts. I was really sick. It was out
of my control. However instead of
dwelling on the negative (quite frankly I
was mortally depressed every time I
looked in the mirror) I regrouped and
battled on. I changed my goals.
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I still train in the gym. I beast my tiny baby
weights. But I took the opportunity to
embrace my other love which was
frowned upon in the competing world.
Tattoos! If I weren't such a wuss i'd be
covered head to toe by now. I got my first
tattoo at 14! And slowly started a
collection. I love old school traditional
tattoos. Amongst many other styles. None
of mine have any deep meaning. I just got
them cos I like them. Although I do have
my mum and dad on there, with me for
life!
In the future I would like every inch of skin
covered. I'm an all or nothing kind of girl.
My mum asks me what the heck am I going
to look like when i'm an old lady. Well I
reckon i'll look pretty awesome! Grey hair
with a blue rinse, wrinkly skin covered in
tattoos! They say you never feel any older,
even when ur eighty, until you look in the
mirror. So in that case, i'll never change!
Xxx