10/08/2026
A while back as I was scrolling my Facebook I saw a picture of a tattoo I did last year. It was the name “Nacole” with a yellow heart next to it. And then I read the caption, the girl I tattooed was Nacole’s best friend. Last year she got a tattoo of her name as TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) Awareness. And Nacole had recently passed.
Nacole had gotten into a car accident when she was 17. She had emergency surgery and she fought hard to recover. Every day she was better than the day before. And in June she walked the graduation stage and she received her diploma. She was strong, and she was an inspiration. I listened to her friend talk about her with so much love as I tattooed her.
It was just this past August I saw her friend’s post that she suffered another car crash at 20 and this time she did not make it out. I teared up reading her story and I’m honestly tearing up again now writing this.
I reached out to her friend and I reached out to her parents, I had just had my baby and was unable to contribute anything financially to help them but I felt like I needed to do something so I offered up a drawing. I talked to her best friend and asked about Nacole, who she was, the things she liked.
She was lovingly nicknamed Sunshine Girl, as she was a light to those around her. So I created this. I turned it into stickers and gave those stickers to Nacole’s parents and told them they can hand them out to her friends.
Recently I found out that the center that helped Nacole recover and get back to her regular life is now up for sale as they need funding.
This center is called the Traumatic Brain Injury Resource Center. It provides free services and support to those living with a TBI. It offers speech therapy, occupational therapy, art therapy, assists with nutrition, and support groups. The center is supported through corporate partnerships, sponsorships and donations.
They need the funding to move forward so they can help others.
Originally, this drawing was meant to be an intimate piece I made for the family and her friends. But with hearing this recent news I’ve decided to share it now to raise awareness for both Nacole’s story and for the resource center that had become an important part of her recovery story.
Please consider donating to the Traumatic Brain Injury Resource Center so they may continue to help people like Nacole.
https://tbirc.org/online-donation/