My mother-in-law, in her red dress.
And little Hope, cradled in our arms.
A few months later, after discussing everything with my doctor, I gradually began fulfilling my childhood dream of gettingpermanent tattoos.
Today, my body is decorated with flowers, butterflies, and images that hold special meaning for me.
Across my stomach, there is a sentence:
“Strength Over Struggle.”
And when strangers give me strange looks on the street, I no longer lower my head.
Because I know something that twelve-year-old Emily didn’t understand.
I never needed to change my body to deserve love.
I had deserved love all along.
And now, when my daughter touches my tattoos with her tiny hands and smiles, I understand that the greatest victory ofmy life wasn’t changing my appearance.
It was learning to accept myself.
