Ink.

Tattoos are a touchy subject for my family; not only were they the reason my Dad got sick in the first place, but they also caused some heated arguments between my parents. 

When my dad was 17 he got his first tattoo, it was a Tasmanian Devil on his right calf muscle. It sounds weird I know, but for some reason he loved the Looney Tunes so much that he proceeded to get all of them tattooed on his bum later on in life. He also had a tiger on his back, a sleeve with a variety of symbolic meanings, various car logos, and of course, the Buddha on his stomach. 

That tattoo he got when he was seventeen was the reason Hepatitis C came into my family. Even though he never could have predicted the disease, I would like to think that getting that ink etched into his skin was his biggest mistake. The thing with Hep C is that it doesn't fully come into effect until years after you have been infected, therefore doctors didn't discover his illness until after my brother and I had grown up. 

He tried to rid his mistake by getting the Tazmanian Devil removed and covered with something he loved, a cheeseburger. Again, it's weird but it made sense to him. Although the scar was covered, the disease was very much alive, and as time went on, the effect of it started to get worse and worse. 

He loved tattoos, but my mom hated them. I understand both sides though. He loved the self expression aspect, she hated the look of them. He loved the meaning behind them, and she hated what they put my family through. It's easy to blame a patch of ink on the skin for everything, but when it comes down to it, knowing what I know now, I wouldn't change a thing. 

I don't hate tattoos, I just hate what they put my family through. He got his years ago prior to sanitation regulations being enforced. 

The Hep C taught my mom and patience, and how to care for someone no matter the circumstances. It taught my brother hard work and never allowing an illness to slow you down. And it taught me that wherever I am in life, family comes first. Together we can make it through any situation, no matter how horrible it may seem at the time.