This website uses cookies that help the website function and that help us understand how you interact with it. Please read our privacy policy for more information. Tattoos often carry deep personal meaning, and for people living with brain tumors, they can serve as powerful symbols of strength and resilience. For my fifth year, I wanted something happy that would make me smile when I looked at it. I wanted it to be colorful and fun.
A serious thing like a brain tumor is such a constant battle that I try to celebrate the wins that I have. When I am having a hard time, I just look at it, and my brain gives me a high five.
The brain in my tattoo has a lightning bolt because I had a brain stimulator implanted as well as radiation, so I joke that I have a bionic brain now. Tip: If it is your first tattoo, I would suggest drawing something on yourself to see if you like having it for a day or two. I was deathly afraid of needles before my brain tumor. The thing I was most scared about when I was going into my first brain surgery was having to get an IV!
I can say now that after everything I have gone through, I am no longer scared of needles. I was searching for a tattoo that would have a lot of meaning to me and was beautiful because this was going to be the first tattoo placed somewhere I was going to be able to see it.
I chose the inside of my left arm so it would be close to my heart. I asked the tattoo artist to design a flower using color ribbons, and this was his design. The gray ribbons symbolize my journey through the two brain tumors I have had, the different treatments for them, and the effects of those on and in my life.
