Heaven

Connect What inspired your most recent tattoo?

This dragon and rose on my thigh is everything I carry, love, loss, distance. My dad drew the dragon, and the rose came from art my uncle sent me from jail. It represents him, my dad, me, and his daughters. My uncle’s always kept me at arm’s length, but I’ve always wanted that closeness. The artist who inked me grew up with my dad, making this tattoo the most personal and meaningful. It’s not just ink, it’s my past, my pain, and my unbroken connection to them.

If your ink could speak, what would it say?

If my ink could speak, it would say I’ve fought through every battle life threw at me. It would scream of the pain I’ve survived, the love I’ve lost, and the strength I’ve gained. Every tattoo tells a story of my father, my struggles, my survival, and my unwavering will to keep going. It’s a constant reminder that no matter how much life breaks me down, I’ll always rise from it, stronger and more real than before.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Losing my great-grandmother, who raised me, broke me. If I had $25,000, I’d use it to create a tattoo with her ashes and “I love you” in her handwriting, a piece of her I can carry with me forever. I moved back to Ohio to care of her, and her passing left me with no one to turn to. The rest of the money would help me get back on my feet and live the life she dreamed for me. As an orphan, I’m all alone, but I’ll keep going for her, even if it’s just me.