Alfie Joey writes about his incredible niece and her business partner who are improving lives after cancer
It's my niece’s birthday! Happy birthday, Our Megan. (Everyone in our family has the pre-fix ‘Our’ before their name) However, Our Megan is no ordinary niece.
She is a great mam to her three daughters, an unbelievable grafter running a busy hairdressing business and an animal lover to a menagerie; she is also an award-winning charity champion.
It is that last element I want to tell you about because Our Megan and her mate Amanda have created something life changing, life affirming and life enhancing.
I, for one, cannot claim to leave behind any kind of lasting legacy to compare with what these two are building! So let me explain what it is and who it makes a difference to.
The North East Nipple Project was founded by Megan Jones and Amanda Patterson, with one clear aim: to help people rebuild confidence after breast reconstruction due to cancer using the medium of …art!
They provide specialist 3D areola and nipple tattooing for those who have undergone mastectomy and breast reconstruction, helping to create uncannily natural-looking drawn nipples at the end of what can often be an arduous and emotional journey.
Seriously, the results are incredible. I have dabbled in art myself but I could not believe the finished images were not 3D.
They have put their artistic skills to incredible, positive use but, behind the scenes, I know how hard they have worked to make it more and more effective.
Amanda is an unbelievable artist in her own right – track her down on social media to see her latest, uncanny portrait of Amy Winehouse.
This dynamic duo, through fundraising, donations and lovely, local community support, have been able to offer fully and partly-funded treatments, making this specialist service accessible to more and more people all over the North East and I couldn’t be prouder.
Our Megan said: “Since launching, we have supported many incredible people and we were extremely proud to receive a Heart of the Community Award.”
Furthermore, Our Megan was named as a finalist for ‘Industry Icon of the Year’ at the 2026 North East Hair & Beauty Awards. She is definitely the icon of the family.
I love what the charity does, and I love the catchphrase that simplifies yet explains the power of what the North East Nipple Project provides and the difference it could make for even more ; ‘Restore. Reclaim. Bloom’.
Restore and Reclaim I’ve hope I’ve explained. Bloom is the new bit. Whenever Our Megan returns from a Wallsend catch up with Amanda, she calls me and tells me of their latest plans.
They are always buzzing with brilliant new ideas, never settling for what they have already achieved. So ‘Bloom’, they explained , is their ‘new collection of realistic, bespoke areola and nipple prosthetics, for those who may not be suitable for permanent tattooing’. Inspired and inspiring.
I have always been an admirer of Race For Life’ and love seeing their events pop up all over the place, but since my niece co-created the North East Nipple Project I think so much more about the people we have lost to breast cancer and the support charities like theirs provide to those who have survived or recovered.
Have a happy birthday, Our Megan. Keep helping people restore their confidence and keep lifting those who have been through a tough ordeal to feel more and more like their old selves again.
Facts & footnotes
- You can sign up for an early bird offer for Race For Life Darlington, Sunday 06 Jun 2027
- Every year in the UK, around 11,500 women and 90 men die from breast cancer.
- On October 23, wear pink, raise money via Breast Cancer Now, and help change the future of breast cancer.