Heya! If you're seeing this, you probably already know who I am! I'm Freya, a former body piercer in the Winter Park area. Here's some back story!

I am an Orlando native, and grew up in the Oviedo/Winter Springs area. I eventually got my B.S. from Seminole State College and then my M.S. in Information Technology from FSU. Shortly after graduation, I was furloughed from my IT job after being in the industry for six years. While not working, I had a wonderful and life changing opportunity to learn how to be a body piercer at a tattoo and piercing shop in Orlando. While learning how to pierce, I realized that I had found my passion. I realized that my new goal in life was to become the best piercer that I could. Piercing was an opportunity not to just pierce clients, but meet new and absolutely AMAZING people in the Orlando area. As I got further into it, I realized that I was helping my clients in ways that I couldn't imagine at the beginning.

I took a break from piercing in mid-March of 2021 and came back to it in May of 2021 with the grand opening of Ink House Studio. As of right now, Ink House Studio has such SUCH a solid team, every single member who I'm honored to call my family. At Ink House Studio, I had the opportunity to grow and run piercings all by myself, with support from everyone there. While there, I was able to be more vocal and grow so much as a person and a piercer. I quickly learned that by being an openly queer and transgender piercer, I was helping the LGBTQ+ community even more than they were helping me. I decided that my new life goal at that time was not just to be the best piercer I could be, but also to be able to have the shop as a safe place for everyone, as well as allowing folks come by who needed support without piercings.

However, starting in November of 2020, I started to notice that I have having more and more problems with mental functions. Memory, loss of time, confusion, and a much harder time figuring out things, to name a few. I put all of this off as something I could worry about later, as it didn't affect my life too much. However, since early September 2021, it was starting to interfering with my day to day life. Shortly after, I was involved in a motorcycle crash, which have seemed to make things worse at an exponentially quicker pace even with a helmet. In November 2021, during the week of Thanksgiving, I was with a few friends out to eat, and I was taken to the ER after I noticed something was very wrong , such as not understanding where I was, who my friends around me were, and unable to answer basic questions such as the day. I was quickly admitted and spent three days in the special care unit as we tried to figure out what was wrong with me from a neurological standpoint.

I was released, and told to not drive or work and to come back to see a doctor a week or two later. After discussing with Manny, the owner of Ink House Studio who I consider one of my closest friends, we decided it would be best for me to not pierce until I'm cleared by the doctor. My doctors appointment came and went, and I was explicitly told by doctor to not drive or pierce for at least a month. With this information, I sat down with Manny again, and we both decided that it would be best if I took a leave from piercing for the time being. The time being may be a few months, or a few years, or forever. I really don't know at this point, and won't know until I am able to figure out what's wrong with the help of my doctor, neurologist, and neuropsychologist.

While piercing is my passion, I unfortunately cannot sit around and wait for a diagnosis before going back to piercing. There are bills mounting up, both personal (such as rent and food) and medical (HRT for transitioning, mental health meds, health insurance, hospital bill, future bills with doctors and specialist). Any money donated will be used for these bills. That being said, I am currently looking for work, which is made a magnitude more difficult without being able to drive. I am disappointed that I cannot currently follow piercing, but I'm also excited for the future, as I know there are amazing things in store for me, for my friends, for my family, and for every single person I ever had the honor of piercing.