Nicola Hollands - She had her dead sister's ashes tattooed into a portrait across her back so they can "always be together"

  

A woman has had her dead sister's ashes
tattooed into a portrait across her back so they
can "always be together".

Nicola Hollands, 27, was devastated when her
beloved sister Charlotte died in May just
22 from leukaemia .

She decided to get a touching tribute to
Charlotte - a tattoo of her with angel wings
covering her back.
Mum-of-two Nicola, from Cardiff, had the
artwork made by a mixture of ink and her
sister's cremated ashes.

She said: "I chose to have the tattoo as it
means we will always be together.
"Charlotte was such a huge part of my life I
wanted the size of the tattoo to represent that.

attoo: She wanted the size of the design to
represent how large a part Charlotte played in
her life

"She was so brave and battled through pain
every day of her life.
"In comparison my pain in having it done is
nothing."she said

Charlotte developed leukemia after suffering a
rare genetic disorder, Shwachman-Diamond
syndrome (SDS) which affected her immune
system, pancreas and bone marrow.
Up until her death she had to take enzymes
daily to help her body process nutrition from
food.

She was also in and out of hospital every week
for appointments and had learning difficulties
which put her behind in school.
Nicola said: "I grew a thick skin to protect my
sister from any bullying or harsh words at
school.
"I took it upon myself to be her protector and
we spent most of our time together.

Design: The angel has shackles around its
wrists to represent Charlotte's illness

"As we got older Charlotte didn't let her illness
hold her back from doing what she wanted.
"When she was well she lived a normal life and
went out clubbing and got to go on girls
holidays.
"But ultimately she succumbed to this evil
disease that gave her leukemia twice and took
away her sparkle."
As well as the tattoo in tribute to her sister
Nicola also had a glass ring made with
Charlotte's ashes.
She said: "The tattoo is going to be quite dark
when it's finished.

"There are shackles on the angel's wrists to
represent Charlotte's SDS and how it held her
back.

Sisters: Charlotte died in May aged just 22

"But underneath that I want there to be demons
holding onto the angel's feet to represent the
cancer that ultimately took her away.
"The ring in comparison is something pretty and
sparkly that I wear on special days - like going
to a wedding or for a nice meal.
"Both tributes to Charlotte are so special to me
because it's a way of still being together even
though she's gone."
To raise awareness for SDS and to help families
who have been given a diagnosis Nicola has
started a charity, Shwachman-Diamond
Syndrome UK.

Charity: Nicola is setting up a charity in
Charlotte's memory

She hopes to raise money that will be spent
supporting SDS sufferers and their loved ones.
Nicola said: "I'm still grieving and I can
sometimes find that overwhelming but starting
up the charity is something positive that's
helping me.
"I'd like to help raise money to extend the lives
of people like Charlotte.
"She was living a death sentence but it didn't
stop her from trying to enjoy the life she had to
the maximum.
"I think that's a lesson to us all."

MIRROR