A cosplayer who turned to content creation after losing her mum to cancer has revealed she was later diagnosed with the disease herself and forced to undergo a mastectomy.
Mikomi Hokina, from Belgium, Also known as @Mikomihokina on Instagram, grew up in an artistic household where her mother, a sculptor, inspired her love of creativity from a young age.
“My mom was someone really close to me and somewhat of a model because she was this artsy person that I looked up to,” she told NudeNewz.
READ MORE: ‘My friends joked about me starting OnlyFans – now I rake in up to £19,000 a month’
“She was so talented, so creative, she was kind of my best friend. So it was really hard.”
After her mum passed away during Mikomi’s final year of studies, she threw herself into cosplay and content creation as a way to cope with the grief.
“I got up in the morning crafting stuff, I went to bed in the evening crafting stuff,” she said.
“I was posting on social media a lot. I was just trying to put energy into something that would keep my mind busy.”
Her passion for creating had always been there.
“My mom was really into art. She did sculpting studies. So I grew up in a household that was very artsy,” she said.
“I drew a lot of anime-style stuff as a teenager. I’ve been doing cosplay for about 13 years now.
“It’s actually hobbies that became my job through opportunities rather than choice.”
Mikomi had been studying architecture and 3D video game animation when her life changed.
“My last year, my mom was sick, she had cancer for a few years,” she said.
“When I was about to give my final project, she was in really bad shape.
“She passed away the next month.
“It was definitely a catalyst. Not one that was welcome, but a catalyst nonetheless.”
Within months of launching her content platforms, she was earning enough to support herself.
“I started up in May that year and by September I was already making a living,” she said.
But she admits the way she coped came at a cost.
“I should have gone to therapy a lot earlier,” she said.
“It wasn’t a healthy relationship to work. It led to burnout.”
Years later, Mikomi faced another devastating blow when she was diagnosed with cancer herself.
“When I had cancer, sharing the journey on social media made me feel like it actually had purpose,” she said.
“People felt like it helped them with their own experience because cancer is extremely common.
“Sharing it helped me cope with it a lot better. It went both ways, it helped people and it helped me.”
She underwent a mastectomy, something she says has had a lasting impact.
“I had a mastectomy, it’s really heavy surgery,” she said.
“Now I’m forced to have implants that I didn’t want.”
Despite opening up about her diagnosis, she says some people accused her of lying.
“Why would anyone fake this to get to a worse point?” she said.
“But yeah, the internet is a bit complex.”
Alongside her content work, Mikomi has been restoring her late mother’s home in the Belgian countryside, a project that holds deep emotional meaning.
“My mom bought this house and she didn’t have a lot of money. It was her dream to have a house,” she said.
“When she passed away, my brother and I had to decide, do we sell it or take care of it?
“It was basically a shipwreck.”
The property needed major work.
“It had no bathroom, just a pit of dirt. But we felt really emotionally attached to it. It was her dream,” she said.
At one point, the house was even damaged during a village parade.
“Some guy was driving a tractor and went backwards instead of forward, right into my house,” she said.
“But it’s almost finished now. We’re almost turning the page on that one, which is great.”
Mikomi says her career has given her a life filled with freedom and experiences.
“My life has a lot of freedom, a lot of travelling, a lot of friendships scattered across the world,” she said.
“I prioritise experiences over material things, travelling, food, going out with friends. That’s where the money goes.”
She admits some fan requests still catch her off guard.
“I had someone asking me to do makeup to look like I’m dead and take pictures of me laying on the floor like a corpse,” she said.
“And someone offered me £77 an hour to wear high heels and step on cockroaches.
“There’s something for everyone, I guess.”
