BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – A Bangor woman turns her trials into triumphs with her tattoos.
Marybeth Fitzgerald has two passions: her tattoos and mental health advocacy.
“Yeah, a lot of my tattoos tell me a story with mental health and how important it is to take care of yourself and get over things,” Fitzgerald said.
Through her own personal platform, Mindset Fitz, Fitzgerald shares how changing her mindset helped her navigate hardships, from being in foster care to being homeless at age 16.
Tattoos then became a way for her to channel adversity into art, especially with her tiger tattoo.
“She’s just fierce. It represents the overcoming of life’s obstacles,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald now has the chance to share his story with a national audience.
She landed a top-five spot in her group along with other Mainers for the chance to grace the cover of “Inked” magazine.
She says the community support has been overwhelming.
“She’s a great person and it shows because she gets so much support from that. And she’s good at showing positivity and things like that,” said personal trainer Robbie Thibodeau.
“It’s hard for me to say how grateful I am because, like I said, I didn’t think it would turn into anything. But, I’ve had a lot of people, even people that I don’t know, who reached out to me and said, hey, what are you doing, you’ve inspired me to love getting out of my comfort zone and doing this or that,” Fitzgerald said.
Although the chance to appear on the cover of the magazine sounds like a dream come true, Fitzgerald’s ultimate dream is to start a holistic healing center in Bangor and help other struggling community members.
“I want to help other people who are struggling, who may be struggling with mental health issues, or who have mental health issues to feel empowered to reach out, and you can get through anything, and you can do things. , even when you might not think you can,” Fitzgerald said.
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