Model says ‘OnlyFans saved my life’ after co-star discovered most cancers
She was diagnosed in her 20s after the lump was found during content creation
Mikomi Hokina
A model says making adult content saved her life when a co-star felt a lump in one of her breasts while they were filming, and she was diagnosed with cancer. Mikomi Hokina was in her 20s when a fellow creator noticed something unusual during a shoot and urged her to get it checked out.
The diagnosis came four years after breast cancer claimed the life of her mother, who had carried the hereditary BRCA1 gene mutation. Now 30, the model says the chance discovery may have saved her life.
Mikomi said: “I got cancer in my 20s, which I guess is considered pretty early but it was genetic, so ultimately the likeliness of it happening was much higher to start with. When she touched my boob, she noticed something in there and I was like, ‘My God, what do you mean?'”
“I touched it and felt a little rocky bit inside, so I guess OnlyFans saved my life.”
The cosplayer carried the BRCA1 gene, which meant she faced a much higher risk of developing breast cancer. Mikomi said: “I tested for it when my mom passed away from cancer. I had a pretty high risk of aggressive breast cancer, but I was sceptical of testing for it. Once she passed away, I was like, ‘Okay, it’s probably time, right?’”
Mikomi said one good cosplay opportunity came from her hair loss side effect. She said: “I lost my hair during chemo treatment but managed to recreate a popular character Saitama from One Punch Man.
“It was a fun opportunity because I had such thick hair and it was so long. I could never fit that in a bald cap and look great – there was no way. When I was sick, I used a lot of dark humour to cope with my illness in general.”
Mikomi found out she had cancer just before setting foot on a flight to Thailand. She said: “Two hours before my flight, I got the phone call that my test results were positive for cancer.”
On her return, she broke the news to friends and family. Mikomi said: “I was crying a lot, especially when I had to make that extra step of cutting my hair. You lose so much and it was so patchy, so I decided to shave it short.
“The next day, I had so many holes already I was like, ‘Okay, we’re just fully shaving, I guess’. My hair is a very important part of me.”
Mikomi, who would like to supply costumes for movies one day, says dressing up as her favourite fictional characters is empowering and helped her through tough times. She said: “I feel passionate about the characters I cosplay.”
“But I don’t just feel drawn to heroic characters – I resonate with strengths and weaknesses – although I do love a strong female. The pictures I take in them are fulfilling but mainly passion projects – I make most of my money from other content I create.
“I love it. I keep my fans happy and I’ve transformed my hobby into my job.”
