This tattoo was inspired by The Used.

I ? The Used. They totally own my soul.

I was a victim of the reproductive disease, Endometriosis. Endometriosis occurs when the lining of the uterus, the endometrium, grows elsewhere in the body. This tissue is shed during the menstrual cycle; in women with endo, it continues to do the same, except it's not in the uterus - it's growing on internal organs!

A few years ago, I almost died from Endometriosis. Endometriosis lesions caused adhesions (internal scar tissue) that affected my liver (and killed my appendix); on top of that, I was very suicidal due to the loss of my quality of life (I could barely walk - forget actually having a life)!

On September 28, 2004 (the same date that The Used released In Love and Death), I underwent a surgical procedure called LAPEX with Dr. Ken Sinervo from the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta, GA. I've been relatively pain-free (and not suicidal) ever since!

The tattoo was part of my healing process, an attempt to reclaim my body. The two butterflies cover two of the surgical scars and the quote is from my all-time favorite song, Blue and Yellow (both songs by The Used).