Mona Merical

What inspired your most recent tattoo?

The unexpected loss of my golden child, who saved my life with her birth but who's life I could not save. She had a sloppy homemade tattoo of the word STRENGTH on her forearm, I made it fancy, which would have annoyed her to no end. I enjoyed annoying her with my flair.

If your ink could speak, what would it say?

It would speak to my unending anguish over the loss of my Best friend, my only advocate within my family, my Mini-Me, the most beautiful of all my kids. She was my light in the darkness. I lost her to an accidental overdose from 1/2 a tainted fentanyl pill disguised as a Percocet.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Thanks to discrimination against my transgender best friend and roommate, we are being turned away from places to live, even the RV park who was fine with us until they saw her. I would put that money as a down payment for my own little house so we won't have to be homeless or worry about it anymore. . I will not throw my friend away to save myself. Honor and trust mean everything to me, I refuse to throw her under the bus because of others discrimination. She saved me from myself after my loss.