Lily: My brother’s keeper

Lily is a woman in her late 20s. She shares, “My tattoo is a minimalistic design of mountains, trees, and a wave. I got the tattoo after my brother’s third suicide attempt, representing the three main places we spent time together growing up: the woods beside our childhood home, skiing, and the beach at our cottage.” It was her first tattoo and is located on her inner left bicep, close to her heart. The tattoo is a way of honouring their relationship and keeping him top of mind. Lily had a role in stopping or preventing the first two attempts but lived too far away to be able to do the same for the third. She did not find out about the attempt until weeks later which impacted her mental health. Getting the tattoo was her way of feeling closer to him even though she was physically far away.