Brandon

Connect What inspired your most recent tattoo?

I was with Glenda, my high school sweetheart, for 20 years. We built a life, raised our two kids, and faced her 16 month battle with breast cancer together. She survived chemo, surgery, and radiation so our plan was to get tattoos to celebrate. She passed before we could. This full back piece is for Glenda, Nico and Cici, for the dream we never got to share. It’s her story, and our love, etched in ink. For every moment we shared through a canvas of love and loss, strength and memory.

If your ink could speak, what would it say?

This ink is Glenda’s voice, a promise her story will never be forgotten. “She was love. She was strength. She was home.” It tells the story of Glenda my wife & my soulmate, who faced cancer with courage and grace. It would speak of dreams we built, the ones we lost, and the ones I carry forward. I wanted something permanent to carry her with me. Every detail of the tattoo reflects her spirit, strength, and love. A way to keep her close, always.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I’d invest in our future and honor our past. $7,500 each will go to college funds for my kids, Nico (8) and Cecilia (5). $5,000 will help me return to school for a Bachelor’s in Spanish. $2,000 will secure my resting place beside Glenda. The remaining $3,000 will fund tattoos: sleeves as a forever tribute to both kids and a chest piece honoring my roles as a fire captain, young widower, and single father.