When Nancy first told her daughter, Kisha, that she wanted a tattoo, Kisha didn’t believe her. “No, you don’t,” Kisha said with a laugh, brushing off the idea.
That was years ago. Nancy had always been the rule-follower—the pianist and minister who raised her children with faith and structure. She led a youth choir that traveled to churches around the South.
Tattoos just didn’t fit that image.
But Nancy was ready to rewrite the script. Diagnosed with kidney cancer nearly a decade ago, she had come to see life differently. When she enrolled in hospice, her priorities shifted from fitting expectations to embracing freedom. “I’m grown,” she says with a smile. “I can do what I want.”
And what she wanted was a tattoo.
Drawn to Freedom
Nancy’s upbringing in a conservative, religious household had shaped much of her life. As a church pianist and minister, she spent decades leading choirs, organizing services, and sharing her faith. Tattoos, however, were never part of the picture.
But Kisha’s tattoos had always fascinated her. Nancy admired them from afar, often teasing that she might get one someday. That day finally came when Nancy decided it was time to do something for herself.
Making Commercials Come True
In 2023, Hospice of the Piedmont launched an advertising campaign that asked, “If you had six months to live, what would you do?”
The campaign aimed to shift perceptions of hospice care by showing patients doing unexpected things—riding motorcycles, hanging out in bars, and even getting tattoos. While some viewers questioned whether these scenes were realistic, each one was inspired by real-life hospice stories.
Nancy’s tattoo is another example of a hospice patient making her own choices about her experience and, perhaps, proof that sometimes life imitates art imitating life.
Permission to Dream
For Nancy, the decision to get a tattoo wasn’t about anyone else’s ideas—it was about living boldly. “I have cancer, and I’ve been going through that for almost ten years,” Nancy explains. “So this is saying: I made it. I’m not worried about the outcome of it.”
Even so, Kisha was initially hesitant. But once she saw her mom’s determination, she got on board. Within days, the plan was set.
Kisha called Mindy, her Hospice of the Piedmont (HOP) nurse, who contacted the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Alina Fomovska. Within minutes, Dr. Fomovska wrote a Letter of Clearance, clearing the way for Nancy’s tattoo.
“When a patient has a wish like Nancy’s, it’s about more than the tattoo—it’s about living life on their own terms,” says Dr. Fomovska. “As a hospice physician, my role is to remove barriers to those moments and help create opportunities for joy and meaning, no matter where someone is in their journey.”
A Nightmare Before Tattoo Day?
Despite her excitement, Nancy admitted she had a few jitters. The night before the appointment, she stayed up late, imagining the pain. “I was thinking about me hollering and crying,” she says.
But when the big day arrived, Nancy’s jitters disappeared, which was good because Kisha had prepaid for the appointment. “I told her the day before: I paid for it ahead of time, so you can’t turn back,” Kisha laughs.
On Saturday morning, just four days after her first call to HOP, Nancy was up early and ready to get it done.
What’s This?
Bravado, the tattoo artist, welcomed Nancy and Kisha into his studio, Tatted Souls, in Charlottesville’s Woolen Mills neighborhood. The studio was bright and airy, filled with photos of his work and assorted movie memorabilia, including several stuffed Jack Skellingtons from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
It might have seemed an unusual setting for a 70-year-old minister, but Nancy felt right at home. Bravado had been Kisha’s tattoo artist for years, so Nancy felt comfortable in his hands.
Broadcasting Live
For Bravado—no stranger to livestreaming his tattoo sessions—turning on the camera was one of the first things he did when he walked into the studio. As he broadcast Nancy’s session to his followers, Kisha set up her own live stream for family members. Some of them even woke up early to watch the special occasion unfold.
Kisha had fun with the experience, reading comments to her mom while she was getting the tattoo and answering family questions. The livestream provided an opportunity to share the special moment with loved ones near and far.
Not Fading Away
Bravado took extra special care of Nancy throughout the process. Giving someone a tattoo is vastly different from drawing on a piece of paper. Unlike paper, human skin is a living, breathing canvas with texture, elasticity, and variations in tone. Artists must account for the skin’s movement and how it stretches and contracts, all of which change as we age.
“You have to be careful with more delicate skin. You can’t stretch it too much at one time because it will tear,” Bravado explains.
Nancy didn’t flinch. As the tattoo machine buzzed to life, she remained steady, even surprising Bravado. “She took it like a champ,” he says, applying a protective barrier to the fresh tattoo.
A Permanent Connection
When asked about the meaning of the tattoo – a heart and flower design – Nancy says simply, “Freedom. A change in my life.”
It also became part of her bond with Kisha. As soon as Nancy got up from the tattoo chair, Kisha sat down to get a matching version, with one small change, Kisha’s tattoo has the word “mom” written on the side of the heart.
And this isn’t the end of Nancy’s tattoo journey. She’s already thinking ahead to her next one – an elephant. “I had a good experience. We’ll be back,” says Nancy.
Writing the Ending Her Way
Just like the ad campaign that sparked conversations, Nancy’s story reminds us all that hospice is about living, not waiting.
“I don’t know what it’s going to be like when I die,” says Nancy. “So, I want to do what I know now.”
With the support of her hospice team, Nancy proves that hospice care isn’t only about comfort—it’s about possibilities. “Don’t think of it as the last part,” Nancy said. “It is what it is. Don’t worry about that.”
As Mindy, one of Nancy’s nurses, said, “Everyone should get their last wish.” And Nancy’s wish reminds us all to embrace life while we can.
