Aly Ray's Zissa Scar Story
Aly Ray has been a professional model for 15 years. At 20, she had a double mastectomy.
She woke up from surgery with one breast. Then she went septic. Her surgeon came into the room and told her, plainly, that he didn't know how to save her — and that her husband should come say goodbye. She was 20 years old. She said goodbye to her husband.
The next morning she woke up. She looked down. Where her chest had been, there was rib cage.
"It was wild," she says. "But I was like, you know what? I'm just happy to be alive."
That gratitude didn't last the call to her agencies. She told them what had happened. They told her no one wanted to see a girl like her. They all dropped her that day.
For a long time after, Aly thought everyone could see it. She wore hoodies through Southern California summers. She was sure that anyone who looked at her knew she was different.
She cried in the shower. She thought her family couldn't hear her.
One day her husband came in, turned the light on, and told her to get up. He took a picture of her.
"You're so beautiful, and I need you to see how beautiful you are," he said. Then: "Your mom has those same scars. Do you think she's not beautiful?"
That was the moment.
"She's the most amazing, wonderful woman I've ever met. Strong and smart and intelligent. And I always say it's kind of like superheroes — you know how they have capes? That's what my scar is. My mom has that cape. And now I do too."
The scars that Aly had hated became the thing that connected her to her mother. They became the cape.
She started posting about them. She started sharing her story. She braced for people to look away.
"I felt like everyone was staring at me, and nobody was. The second I started posting about it, everyone was championing me. Like, go, you got this. It's beautiful."
When we sent Aly a Zissa sheet, she held it up to the light.
"It's pure gold looking. I would wear it to the beach — that sun protection, but really lightweight. It's a great conversation starter."
Then a beat.
"I could maybe wear an underwire swimsuit, which I haven't been able to wear in forever. Because this would protect that feeling on the scar."
She paused.
"Now I have a gold cape."
Aly's Advice for Someone Earlier in the Journey
"Be kind to yourself. I'm telling you, I felt like everyone was staring at me and nobody was. The second I started posting about it and sharing it myself, everyone was championing me. Share your story. Be proud of who you are and what you survived."
Zissa Scar Stories is an ongoing series featuring people who are reshaping their relationship with their scars. If you'd like to share yours, reach out.
