I am a married mother of 5, and have been since age 16. Although my children have always been the most important thing in my life, I have recently reached a point in my life where I am ready to concentrate on me.
I am the sole bread winner in my family, and am proud of it. I am a natural caregiver, as most mothers are, but recently i had to put a hat on that was by far the most burdening on my soul as I have ever had to endure.
Since 1997, my miracle that I call Mom, has battled breast cancer 4 times. Each time it returned, it was more aggressive than it was before. Her third time around she had a radical mastectomy along with an extremely aggressive protocol of chemo and radiation. She survived, but was never quite as strong again.
In 2011, we got the dreaded diagnosis once again. This time nothing was going to save her, and over what seemed like a lifetime at the time, I watched, helpless as this monster took everything from her. I found myself caring for the woman that raised me, knowing that she was terminal even before she did. My mom was an eternal optimist, and to her this was just another round to the fight.
Before she died, I began the sleeve on my right arm in her honor. When I showed it to her she cried. I told her about the things that I was going to add to the sleeve, knowing that she would never live to see it come to full fruition.
Almost a year had passed now since I watched my mother pass on from this life. In that time I have had the sleeve completed; it now consists of tributes to the 4 people in my life that made me who I am today: my Mother, Father, Stepfather and Grandfather.
I want to be seen so that I can show the world that the decision to get ink is not only very personal, it is also beautiful. I want to raise awareness for the caregivers of those that have not only succumbed to this beast called cancer, but also to those that cared for someone that is alive today.
To summarize, EMRI..Every Move Remains Inspired..! I want to take this avenue as far as it will take me.
My goal is for people to not only see me, but to ask me what the significance of my work is. I want those who ask to walk away from seeing a survivor, and know that they can overcome life's battles as well, and be better for it.

Thank you to my family for their never ending support.
Thank you to the artists at Davinci's Tattoo and Stained Glass Tattoo that helped to transform me into who I am today.
Thank you to the two wonderful photographers that I have had the pleasure to work with.
And finally, thank you so much to Brix Nobody for your advice and guidance. I wouldn't be here without you and Ernie Bustamante.

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