SCAR by Cabell Harris Photography by Karl Steinbrenner Introduction by Eric Boyd Published in 2010 by WORK Labs Richmond, VA 23220 All rights reserved.
www.worklabs.com Copyright © 2010 by Cabell Harris. All rights reserved.
Published Online 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without permission from the publisher.
Stories Written In Skin. Skin breathes, grows and comes in a variety of colors. It keeps our organs in and the dirt out. It covers each and every last inch of us. It is the body’s largest organ, covering between 1.5 – 2.0 square meters. Our skin holds 650 sweat glands and more than a thousand nerve endings. But most of all, our skin is a record of our personal history. It sags with age, increases with diet and scars with pain. In a glance, it reveals a file of hardship or ease, work or comfort, the hard way or a path well traveled. It is the scars that tell the stories. Scars are evidence. They are the result of choices and the marks of the trials, the pain and the living. They are also the reminders that whatever got us wasn’t good enough to kill us. They are notches in life’s belt. To be without a scar, one might argue, may be just as revealing about character and a life lived. Or not lived. Scars can take years to heal. Mentally. Physically. Spiritually. And every scar has a story. Some are painful to relive. They make us cry or become angry. Others are sources of pride. They make us laugh or shine. Either way, there are stories to tell.
scar no. 06123
Sideshow “I used to do a strong woman act. My partner would hang me between 2 chairs by the shoulders and the heels, pile 2 cinder blocks on my belly and smash them with a sledge hammer. Not surprisingly, this act damaged my back and an operation was necessary. The first operation helped but my spine became infected. The infection went undetected through the second operation. The third operation almost killed me, during which I had a very strong out of body experience. The last surgery took away the pain and left a long scar that runs from the ribs into the crack.�
scar no. 01932
Heights “I fell 30 feet from a water tower in Brooklyn. The fall shattered and dislocated my elbow, shattered my wrist, shattered and dislocated my foot and fractured my back. Yes, I’m lucky to be alive. My elbow is now half metal, consisting of 16 1-inch long screws screwed into two plates, one 4-inch long screw and a wire. My humerus popped out on the inside of my elbow joint. Because of scar tissue that is stuck under this scar, I have what I like to call a “double bicep.” The outside of my elbow (where all the metal is) is a wide 8-inch scar. The scar is wider than normal because it was operated on 3 times. When all of this happened, I was a week away from beginning my second year of art school. The arm I injured was my drawing arm. I always say I don’t regret what happened, although it was really awful, because for some reason, my drawings were better after than they ever were before the accident.”
scar no. 02620
Speed “I broke my hip joint on a dashboard. When I was in the ER, some kind of crazy adrenaline-thing possessed me to pull a new bikini that I’d just bought out of my purse and wave it at the surgeon. I told him I didn’t want the scar to show. Be sure—I got a scar. It’s very thin and runs across my hip. It’s a beautiful scar.”
scar no. 08921
scar no. 00629
scar no. 10221
Precaution “They thought I had cancer three times and cut me open accordingly. They were right only one of those times.�
scar no. 00721
Nature “When I was about 9, my parents made me join the Girl Scouts and they made me go on a day hike. It was supposed to be good for me. During the hike, someone found a snake under a rock and we all ran to see the snake slither away. That’s when I got bit. I didn’t bleed and I didn’t find any spiders in my boots when I took them off. I developed a large blister on my right leg, just above ankle. My parents didn’t become concerned until I developed a fever of 106. After a fruitless visit to a private doctor, the Air Force docs took one look at my leg and told my mom that a Recluse spider had bitten me. After an overnight stay in the hospital, and plenty of anti-biotics, I was fine. Except for this ugly patch of dead scar tissue on my right lower leg that will never go away.”
Influence “When I was 6 years old. I was playing in a park near my house. A broken bottle was there and I began picking up pieces of glass and tossing them as I sat on a swing. A much younger boy was watching me. He came over, picked up a piece of the glass and hurled it straight at me. It sliced my leg open and blood ran down all over my jelly shoes. I ran crying back to my house with a shoe full of blood and my dad took care of me. We were poor, so no stitches for me. Dad just put a glob of Neosporin on it and a bunch of gauze and sent me on my way. Now it’s a much bigger scar than it needed to be because of the lack of stitches, but I’m OK with that.”
scar no. 04187
scar no. 03161
scar no. 03168
Acting “I was a professional wrestler for 7 years. I have two wonderful scars in on my face. The long one required 26 external stitches and four internal ones. The scar on the bridge of my nose is the result of the doctors pulling and stretching skin to cover a chunk I had lost. I got hit in the face with a shopping cart during a hardcore wrestling match on the very day my wife found out we were expecting our first son, Junior.�
scar no. 01492
jumpy “I impaled myself on a dumpster. I used to climb up on the roofs downtown and jump around. One time I heard a police car and it spooked me. So I jumped from a roof onto a dumpster. But I busted through the plastic part and stabbed my thigh on a piece of metal. I didn’t have any medical insurance so I went home and fell asleep. A couple of days later it was infected. When I finally went to the hospital, they couldn’t stitch it up because of the infection. It healed but I have a nasty scar.”
scar no. 04130
failure “I crashed my bicycle into the back of a parked phone company repair truck while riding head-down fast to my drivers ed class when I was 15. I was late. After I hit the truck—and then the pavement—a jogger came up and checked me out. I tried to stand up, telling him I would fail drivers ed if I missed one more class. He held me down and then got somebody to call an ambulance. I spent 2 days in the hospital, got 58 stitches around my eye and wore an eye patch for 90 days. The priest in the hospital tried to convert me to whatever religion right after I got shot-up with all the painkillers. I passed drivers ed thanks to a note from the doctor—that day was an excused absence. I took my driving test with the eye patch on. The guy testing me seemed nervous, like he didn’t want to ask, but he did ask afterwards. I made sure he passed me first and then I told him.”
scar no. 03820
blindsided “I have a 4-inch scar across the left side of my throat. I was sucker punched by a guy with a blade in his hand. The punch did nothing but the blade sliced my throat wide open.�
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LUNG CANCER It is estimated that 90 percent of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking. LIPOSUCTION In 2004, 324,891 liposuctions were performed which ranks as the number one performed cosmetic surgery. FACE LIFT The average cost for a face lift, and its incision scars, is $9,500. ACL SURGERY (KNEE INJURIES) Over 70% of all ACL injuries occurred in recreational and competitive sport activities. KNIFE WOUND Items used in making prison shanks, or shivs, include razorblades on the ends of toothbrushes, sharpened spoons and rulers, glass wrapped in cloth and steel tacks imbedded into gardening gloves. APPENDIX The longest appendix removed was of a 55-year-old Pakistani man in 2003 that measured 23.5 cm (9.5 inches) in length. VACCINATION A smallpox vaccine is administered with several quick punctures with a two-prong needle. The site first becomes a red bump, then a blister and finally a scab. When the scab falls off, a 1 cm scar remains. BURNS/MATCHES In the United States, approximately 2.4 million burn injuries are reported per year. There are 200 special burn care centers in the U.S. CUTTING One in every 200 girls between the ages of 13 and 19 cut themselves regularly. Unless treated, people who self-injure will continue the behavior into adulthood. SUICIDE Cutting/piercing accounts for 1.5% of suicides. The most common method of suicide is use of a firearm (55%). PREGNANCY The top three female baby names in the U.S. in 2005 were Emily, Emma and Madison. For males, the top names were Jacob, Michael and Joshua. FRATERNITY BRAND Founded November 11, 1911 at Howard
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University, Omega Phi Psi Fraternity does not condone the act of branding but many of its members choose to do so in an act of brotherhood. MASTECTOMY Every three minutes a woman in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer. HEART TRANSPLANT Heart transplant is the fourth most common transplant operation in the U.S., with over 2,200 cases per year. BAR FIGHTS An informal survey of bouncers revealed the common causes of bar fights to be women, property lines, sports, politics and songs played on the juke box. GUN SHOT There are now 30,000 gangs across America with members totaling 800,000. HOLLYWOOD SCAR How to fake a Hollywood scar. Using a glue gun, make a line across wax paper and let cool. Cut around the glue scar, making sure to leave some wax paper around scar to later be used as base for prosthetic. Apply to skin using either Spirit Gum or Liquid Latex. Use make-up to conceal. HERNIA If you have to lift heavy objects, bend with the knees. BREAST ENLARGEMENT In 2005, 364,610 breast augmentations were performed. Of these procedures, 83% used a saline and 17% used a silicon implant. CHIN SCAR Harrison Ford’s real chin scar was incorporated into the story line for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Ford acquired his scar in an automobile accident. TORTURE The United Nations, in 1987, enacted the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. To date, 142 nations have signed the Convention. ACNE SCAR 60 million Americans have active acne. The cause of acne is due to natural hormones, clogged pores, bacteria and genetics.
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BREAST REDUCTION Reduction mammaplasty (breast reduction) is performed to relieve women of back, neck and shoulder pain as well as skeletal deformities and breathing problems attributed to disproportional breasts. JOINT REPLACEMENT A hip or knee replacement is likely to last 20 years and average a million steps per year. CAR ACCIDENT There were nearly 6,420,000 auto accidents in the United States in 2005. The financial cost of these crashes is more than $230,000,000,000. AMPUTEE There are an estimated 110 million active mines scattered in over 70 countries – that’s one for every 17 children or 52 humans in the world. FIREWORK ACCIDENTS In 2006, there were 9,600 reported firework injuries of which 40 percent of the injured were 15-years-old and younger. CLEFT PALLET Cleft lip and cleft pallet affect 1 in 700 children born in the United States. FOOT SCAR Symptoms of tetanus, usually near the wound site, include muscle stiffness, muscle spasms and headaches. NEEDLE (HEROIN) In a 2005 survey, 3.5 million Americans aged 12 or older reported trying heroin once in their lifetime. LOBOTOMY It is estimated that lobotomies were done on about 40,000 to 50,000 people in the United States in mental institutions and hospitals. Dr. Walter Freeman performed 24 lobotomies in one day in West Virginia. TRACHEOTOMY When emergency tracheotomies are performed in instances of choking, substitutes for the breathing apparatus can include straws, hollowed out ball-point pens, or rolled paper or cardboard.
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