A woman who lost her nose decided to abandon the prosthesis (8 photos)

In 2014, American Tina Earls was diagnosed with stage 2 nasal cancer. To preserve her vision, brain and mouth, the woman agreed to have her entire nose removed.





A woman who lost her entire nose to cancer has ditched her “irritating” prosthesis in favor of a black hole on her face.

Tina Earls from the USA said that, despite the sidelong glances of strangers, she is now more confident than ever.



Tina Earls had her entire nose removed after she was diagnosed with cancer.

The woman first noticed inflammation in her nostril in 2012. At that time she was about 40 years old.

When she tilted her head, fluid dripped from her head and the left side of her face went numb, she told Newsweek.



“There is nothing more beautiful than being alive,” says the woman

Tina put up with these inconveniences, as well as the itching and lump inside, for almost two years, until in May 2014 she was diagnosed with stage 2 nasal cancer.

“I was so devastated and shocked that I dropped my phone,” she said.

The mother of five was subsequently offered radiation therapy, but was warned that she could go blind and would have to be fed through a tube for the rest of her life.



Tina says she's more confident than ever

She later underwent a total rhinectomy—the complete surgical removal of her nose.

“The doctor said he didn’t want to permanently disfigure my face by cutting off my nose, but I said, ‘What good will it do if I’m dead?’” Tina said.

And after 6 months she had a fake nose, which was supposed to cover the huge triangle formed as a result of surgery on her face.



Mother of five children before diagnosis and surgery

After two years of discomfort, she decided to stop wearing it altogether.

“I didn’t like the way it (the prosthesis) looked, and I didn’t like the glue—it irritated my skin,” the woman said.

And although her appearance now attracts additional attention - which is not always pleasant - she tries not to let it affect her.

“When random people stare at me for a long time, I look back at them and smile,” the American added.

“Deep down, I know that it’s not my face that makes me beautiful in their eyes, but the fact that I can still smile and hold my head high.”

“I feel strong and brave, but I had to fight for it.”

"People ask, 'Where do you get so much confidence?' Because I fought hard and I'm alive. There is nothing more beautiful than [being] alive."



An American woman said that she sleeps with gauze on her nose so that her throat doesn’t get dry.

Tina shared her story online and users bombarded her with many questions.

Many people wanted to know how she breathes and smells, whether she has to clean her nose and whether she catches a cold.

In one video she explained:

“I can breathe through the hole, but I wear a patch that warms and moisturizes my breath - it’s for comfort.”

“Yeah, I had to stick my finger in there a few times to clean it, and yeah, it hurt.”



In another post, she added that she smells and tastes the same as before, but pepper is her “arch enemy” and she has to be extra careful when cooking food that contains it.

Tina also said that she sleeps with gauze on her nose so that her throat doesn’t get dry.