Body Art Gallery raises money for American Cancer Society with traditional flash day
Local tattoo enthusiasts will have the chance to collect a piece of art and help support American Cancer Society during Tulare's Body Art Galley flash day.
A percentage of the earnings made during Saturday's event will be donated to the American Cancer Society. Even if you don't want to go under the needle, donation will be accepted the day of.
Body Art Gallery has hosted flash days in the past, but this fundraiser is especially close to shop owner Joseph Cabello's heart.
"We'd been tossing around ideas for a fundraiser," Cabello said. "This was the one I really wanted to do."
In September 2022, the 33-year-old Tulare native notice a painful lump near his groin. Cabello said he immediately knew what it was: Cancer.
Cabello's best friend, Ernesto Llerenas, had died of testicular cancer as a young adult.
"I knew that with cancer, time is extremely important," he stated in an April blog post.
'It's really hard not to care'
While anxiously waiting to be seen by a urologist, Cabello continued to work at the shop five to six days a week.
Cabello has been tattooing for nearly two decades and is a graduate of Art Institute of Los Angeles. But even before attending art school, Cabello was honing his craft at Tulare Western High School.
After tattoo professionally in Southern California, Cabello moved back to the Central Valley and opened Body Art Gallery in his hometown.
While working and trying to navigate the healthcare system, the lump continued to grow, and Cabello was now experiencing pain down his sides and legs.
In November 2022, Cabello was able to see a urologist. The doctor wanted to remove the mass as soon as possible, but it would be another month before Cabello would undergo surgery.
He then spent the first half of 2023 undergoing IV chemotherapy treatment. The treatments were given in runs of five days in a row, for roughly four hours a day, he said.
There were two main things that Cabello said got him through treatment: knowing he was one treatment closer to being done and prayer.
"Any time I didn’t know where my mind needed to go, when my body wasn’t serving me, I would be saying my prayers over and over in my head," Cabello wrote in a blog post. "Praying for myself, praying for my family, and praying for other friends and people I knew going through things themselves."
Sitting with other cancer patients for long stretches of time left a lasting impact on Cabello.
"Being in those rooms, it's really hard not to care," he said.
Although Cabello said he isn't "out of the woods" yet he is no longer undergoing chemotherapy treatment. He is back to full days of tattooing and has returned to muay thai classes.
Cabello said it's a "blessing to be back at work" and that it was all he wanted to do during treatment.
"I really got to see what was important," he said.
The goal of Saturday's fundraiser is to raise $1,500-$2,000 for American Cancer Society. Donations, according to the organization, go toward cancer research and helping cancer patients in need.
"Donations really help (cancer patients)," Cabello said. "I just want it to be easier for the next person.”
Saturday's flash theme is, traditional. The shop will have several premade designs to choose from. In addition to the six staff artists, there will be at least two guest artists available during the flash day.
Body Art Gallery will preview designs on its Instagram stories leading up to the event.
How to attend
When: 12 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23
Where: Body Art Galley, 1267 E Prosperity Ave., Tulare
Information: @body.art.gallery
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Tulare tattoo artist's battle with cancer inspires flash fundraiser
