Still Alive, Now Whole
The Plot Twist That Happened Live at Perky
Earlier this month, we sat down with Krystal — host of Plot Twist: Still Alive and three-time cancer survivor — for what we thought would be a beautiful conversation about Perky, our services, and what restorative tattooing means for the breast cancer community.
And it was all of that.
But then Krystal did something none of us saw coming.
Meet Krystal
If you haven't yet discovered Plot Twist: Still Alive, consider this your sign. Krystal is a three-time cancer survivor, chaos navigator, and professional laugh-finder in life’s messiest moments. On the podcast, she leans into dark humor as her favorite coping mechanism, turning pain and cringe into connection and catharsis.
“My first cancer diagnosis came as a child. Breast cancer showed up again in October 2018.And again in April 2024.
Because cancer loves sequels. And mine came back as what I can only describe as Frankentitties 2.0 — the sequel no one asked for. Since diagnosis I have shifted from diagnosed, to survivor, to warrior, to advocate.”
Before her podcast, Krystal was deeply embedded in our local breast cancer community through Pink Warrior Advocates, a nonprofit organization she ran that served those in the Texas Hill Country navigating breast cancer. Through that work, she watched firsthand what restorative tattooing did for the women in their community. She saw the before and after — not just on the outside, but in the way women carried themselves, the way they walked back into their own lives.
She knew what this work meant. Long before she sat down in our studio.
The Interview
We covered so much ground in this conversation — and we're not going to give it all away here, because you truly need to watch it for yourself.
What we will tell you is that Krystal doesn't pull punches. She speaks openly about the parts of survivorship that don't always make it into the feel-good stories: the toxic positivity that can leave survivors feeling isolated, the complicated role of community and comparison, and the way that well-meaning words can sometimes do more harm than good.
She challenges the idea that surviving cancer means you should feel grateful every single day — and she does it with a grace and honesty that will stop you mid-scroll.
This is a conversation for survivors, for the people who love them, and for anyone who wants to understand what it really means to live on the other side of a diagnosis.
The Plot Twist
Here's where the episode became something we'll never forget.
Ever since Krystal learned she would be losing her nipples, she told us she had only ever wanted decorative tattoos. We fully respected that—every woman’s journey is her own, and every decision about her body is valid, personal, and beautiful.
“Since 2018, the first time “double mastectomy” was even mentioned, I knew one thing for sure —I wanted artwork on my breasts. But life had other plans.
I had a nipple-sparing mastectomy, followed by reconstruction with implants, so I didn’t have to make that decision at the time.
Fast forward to the sequel to Frankentitties in 2024, and suddenly after a simple revision turned into a biopsy, breast cancer diagnosis, failed implant due to wound healing issues, and the decision to do a DIEP flap while simultaneously removing my nipples to have the best chance NOT TO FIGHT THIS FUCKING MONSTER AGAIN… I now had that come flooding back.
But nothing I could do. I was stuck in the in between of diagnosis and healing from 4 surgeries within a 21 month time frame. Lots of time to think. Lots of time to decide.”
And, mid-interview, Krystal surprised us. She decided, right then and there, that she wanted her nipples tattooed. With us. On air.
“I cannot tell you how often during sex I wondered if my husband cared if I had nipples. Hell, I would ask him constantly DURING SEX. Yes, I made it awkward. Of course he always said he loved me, but he had to, right?!?!?! The intrusive thought was always there, and as many DIEP FLAPS as I had seen and as beautiful as I thought those women were, I couldn't find that within myself.
Every time I looked in the mirror I was WEARING MY CANCER. The same way you wear it when you are in the throws of chemo. EVERY. FUCKING. DAY.
So I did what any strong, sarcastic survivor would do. Made dark jokes, told anyone and everyone I DON’T EVEN HAVE NIPPLES, and forced myself to own my scars, own my journey, and love the shit out of it because these are just reminders that I am stronger than the thing that tried to kill me… times 3!
And as time went on and I grew more accepting of this new body and refused to waste anymore time hating it, I realized I was afraid. Afraid that the nipples would just be a reminder of what I had and make me MISS IT. But what I really missed was feeling WHOLE. Feeling confident. Feeling like me again.
And all at once it dawned on me what I had personally witnessed the Perky girls give so many beautiful warriors just that.
SO.....I CHANGED MY MIND!”
And so, with the cameras still rolling, Krystal's interview became something else entirely.
"I'm Whole Again."
During her tattooing process, Krystal opened up about the parts of survivorship that linger long after treatment ends — the sleepless nights, the ways breast cancer reshapes not just your body but your mind, your relationships, your sense of self.
She talked through it all as the work was being done.
And when it was finished — when she saw herself in the mirror for the first time — Krystal said the words that we will carry with us forever:
"I'm whole again."
A Special Note
This episode released on a meaningful day — the birthday of Jen Reynolds, the founder of Pink Warrior Advocates. Jen's legacy lives on in every survivor who finds community, healing, and their voice. This one's for her.
“One of the most beautiful things that I realized was that the person that meant the world to me and gave my cancer purpose was the same woman that connected me with the two incredible humans… and that THIS VERY PODCAST would be releasing the same day as her birthday (we were actually supposed to record the week before but I was super sick).”
Watch the Full Episode
We've shared pieces of this story, but the full experience — Krystal's words, her humor, her vulnerability, the reveal — that belongs to her, and it's waiting for you on YouTube.
Click the link below and set aside some time, because once you start watching, you won't want to stop.
Prefer a different platform? Check it out on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
