A MUM who lost her entire nose to cancer has ditched her "irritating" prosthetic in favour of a black hole.
Tina Earls said despite funny looks from strangers, she is more confident than ever.
The parent, in her mid-40s, first noticed a sore in her nostril in 2012.
When she bent her head, fluids would drip out and the left side of her face would become numb, she told Newsweek.
Tina put up with the mess, as well as itchiness and a lump, for almost two years until she was eventually diagnosed with stage two nasal cancer in May 2014.
"I was so devastated and shocked that I dropped the phone," she said.
The mum-of-five was offered radiotherapy, but was warned it could leave her blind and fed through a tube for the rest of her life.
Instead, she had a full rhinectomy – total surgical removal of the nose.
"The doctor said that he did not want to permanently disfigure me by cutting off my nose, but I said, 'What good is pretty if I'm dead?'," Tina said.
Within six months, she had a fake one to cover the gaping triangle in her face.
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But after two years of discomfort, she decided not to wear it at all.
Speaking to truly, Tina, from the US, said: "I didn't like the way it looked and I didn't like the glue – it irritated my skin.
"I wore it for about two years, [but] I just don't care for it."
While her appearance gets her extra attention – which isn't always positive – she tries not to let it get to her.
"When random people stare at me for long periods of time, I look back at them and smile," Tina said.
"Deep down, I know that it's not my face that they're seeing that makes me beautiful, it's the fact that I can still smile and hold my head up high."
She added: "I do feel strong and I do feel brave, but I've had to fight for that.
"People say, 'Why are you so confident?' Because I fought hard and I'm alive. Nothing's more beautiful than [being] alive."
Tina has shared her journey on TikTok and Instagram, where she is flooded with questions from intrigued users.
Many want to know how she breathes and smells, if she has to clean inside her nose, and whether she gets cold.
In one video, she explained: "I can breathe through the hole, [but] I wear [a] patch to help warm and moisten my breath – it's for comfort.
"Yes, I've had to stick my finger in there a few times to clean it and yes it hurts."
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In another, she added that she can smell and taste like she could before, but pepper is her "nemesis" and she has to be extra careful when cooking with it.
Tina also told Newsweek that she sleeps with gauze over her nose so her throat doesn't get too dry.
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