Brave Kiwi cancer survivor 'I'M SO PROUD OF MY SCARS'

Battling a deadly disease beauty has given Auckland Tamsyn a special ‘superpower’

- Florence Hartigan

For Kiwi model Tamsyn Cornwall, the beach is her happy place. "I'm a self-proclaimed mermaid!" laughs the 32-year-old, who spent much of her childhood in togs while growing up in Fiji.

But these days, wearing a bikini has taken on a deeper meaning for the Aucklander, whose stomach carries a constellation of scars, each one helping to tell the tale of her incredible victory over a disease that almost claimed her life.

For Tamsyn, showing them off is a reminder of all she has overcome and of a whole new level of self-acceptance.

In early 2020, the aspiring actress, who has studied at Australia's prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Arts, as well as our own South Seas Film School, was diagnosed with stage 3B bowel cancer.

"I was heartbroken," she tells Woman's Day. "You just can't ever imagine those words being said to you. It doesn't seem real."

To save her life, surgeons removed Tamsyn's colon, leaving her with a stoma, an opening in her abdomen through which waste could be diverted into an external pouch or stoma bag.

Tamsyn - who has won almost 17,000 Instagram followers with her inspirational posts decided early on to share openly about her journey online, posting pics in a low-cut bikini that showed off her stoma bag.