Therapy Ink Family/Friends and Posse,

My next story is on a Proud Father and throughout the years has become a great Friend/Bro to me and the Therapy Ink Staff.

I met Nichols countless years ago and have named him Mr. Short Wick. If you knew him his wick may be shorter than mine, and he still wears white framed sunglasses??? I think just to get under my skin.

Nichols lost his baby girl in June 2009 and needed some "Therapy." Ms. Courtney Julianne Nichols lived October 27, 1995 - June 28, 2009. She said she didn't feel good, they took her to the hospital with pneumonia. She still has not been diagnosed, hopefully she will live forever on his back.

Nichols came to Therapy Ink looking for an artist to do a portrait--and by not settling for any less he went to about 6 other studios that day. When Nichols returned later that evening (still not in his right mind) said "this is the place!" He gave me his whole back to work on. I made him smile and cry at the same time.

Since then Nichols has received a full sleeve of all military forces, full of Honor, Courage, Pride and Integrity. (Freedom was not Free) Nichols sure respects the men and women who have and are still serving.  

I would have talked about some conversations we have had but most of them are way out of hand. Not that I know how to start shit up??

Ride Hard/Ride Free my Brother

Respect and Loyalty

Meet our good friend Wes Durnell

Hello again, Therapy Ink Family and Friends,

The next proud story we have here is a man (brother), Friend, Proud Father and decorated Navy M/D, Wes Durnell. Durnell, who I've had the privilege to tattoo about 12 plus years ago and became close and proud of him, has taken Therapy Ink to a whole new level.  

Durnell was stationed in Hawaii for years while coming home yearly and letting me poke needles in him.  We became close friends meanwhile trying to get me to come to Hawaii and I couldn't get time out of my captains chair of Ink. He was stationed to Kingsland (Kings Bay) Georgia where I started proudly Inking for my Navy (submarine) posse that continued for 5 years. Durnell kept them coming and I pushed ink from AM to PM, sometimes back to AM. During those 5 years I have met a lot of great people down south. Including his awesome and supporting wife Jackie, who has put up with long nights of me causing a ruckus in there castle. The Durnell Family has become my family and i am proud to say that.

Wes has given me great advice throughout the years.. like "if it smells like shit...it's probably shit." Shortly after that I was divorced. Here are some pics of the posse in Daytona Partying a little... ok..  a lot... It was a long ride home from there.

Also a pic of me getting caught pirating his springer (he was at work, so i couldn't help myself). Andy has to ride!

Durnell is now stationed in Connecticut and I will soon go hand with my friend (brother) again which is a lot closer to Ohio.

To my friends in Georgia and the Posse in Blue, I miss y'all and we will meet again soon. Thank you for all the canvas.

Love and Respect,

Andy

ERIN KUNZEN
Meet our close friend, loyal Therapy Ink customer and hero, Erin Kunzen. In her own words, Erin explains some of her most meaningful tattoos and the symbolism behind each one: 

In order to understand some of my tattoos you need to know the background on how they came to be. My name is Erin and looking at me you would never know that I am sick and you would never know that I almost died. I have Cystic Fibrosis (CF), which is a fatal genetic disease that has an average lifespan of 37 years old. I am 29. It damages the lungs and digestive system- more specifically the pancreas and how the body absorbs nutrition. I battled chronic acute pancreatitis (which is rare in CF) for several years, but in 2008 it was decided to remove my pancreas for a chance at a better life. The result of that surgery was horrific. I became severely septic and was that way for almost a week before it was caught. I spent 6 weeks in a coma, on a ventilator, with my abdomen wide open because the infection was so severe I couldn't be closed. The doctors flat out said I wasn't going to make it and instructed my husband, family, and friends to come say their goodbyes. Clearly they were wrong. However, once I was closed they placed an ileostomy and trached me because I couldn't breathe without the ventilator. It was a long road with a lot more surgeries to correct the mistakes from the original surgery. My life will never be the same and I will never recover fully. These tattoos have helped me express what I went through and will go through.

"Amor tussisque non celantur" by Ovid- Means “Love and a cough, are not concealed.” Coughing is a major part of Cystic Fibrosis. This quote is something that my very first and best friend CF friend, Jenny, wanted to get together. We weren't able to get it because she went through a double lung transplant and then went into rejection that ultimately killed her.

Phoenix  This was the first tattoo I had done after beating death. I love the symbolism of the Phoenix, which is that the it has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again. I came through the fire and feel like I've been given a second chance.

Sugar Skull  The origin of the sugar skull is through Mexico's Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). It is a candy treat offered as a tribute to the memory and life of someone who has passed away. It's bright and colorful, as it represents joy, happiness, and memories treasured. I have faced death personally, but I've also faced it with the friends I've lost to Cystic Fibrosis. I wanted a positive tribute to them and myself. My sugar skull has roses for the eyes, which is a symbol of CF. It's also known as 65 Roses- a name given by children unable to pronounce Cystic Fibrosis. I added a quote by the Joker from The Dark Knight that says, “What doesn't kill you, simply makes you stranger.” It's my way of adding some dark humor.

“Don't go gently into the night, but keep on fighting as the light dies.”  This is a part of song lyrics by the band Seether, based off of a poem by Dylan Thomas. As soon as I heard the song I knew immediately that I wanted to add it to my fairy sitting on the moon. I have faced the dark night and I kept fighting and I will continue to keep fighting. I think everyone can relate to this at some point in their life.