“In ten years, I have spent hundreds of days in the hospital, been diagnosed with a handful of chronic conditions, and had an entire realignment of my identity. Surgeries and life-saving interventions have turned my body into something I hardly recognize...but hope has always been an important aspect of my survival.” - Erin Robertson, 25. Hope. And- I also noted- a healthy dose of feistiness. As Erin and her mom settled in to chat with me at Captain Buzzy's Beanery back in A

If you meet Kaity, you'll no doubt notice the artwork on her body- the words, phrases, and symbols- each with their own story. Like many tattoos, each one is significant. Some of them, painfully so. I didn't meet Kaity in person at first. I "met" her and her Doodle, Hope, through Instagram. I found myself pouring over every blog she posted, each part of her journey and perspective leaving me practically speechless. I had walked past her a couple of times in the local coffe