Denise Colon, Angel Colon & Eileen Barral

Angel Colon’s story has been shared worldwide. He is the epitome of a survivor, and even after being shot six times, going through multiple surgeries, and going to physical therapy regularly, it’s almost impossible to get him to do anything but smile. As Angel says, he always wants to “share my message of love, hope, and positivity because that’s the only way you can move forward.” He also makes it clear that he couldn’t do it without the support of his family. Angel’s sisters Denise Colon and Eileen Barral have been by Angel’s side through his recovery process. Denise wanted to get a tattoo as soon as possible, but she waited until the right design came to her. She’s intentional about the meaning of her tattoo, a sea turtle with her brother’s initials, the date of the attack, and the number 49 in Roman numerals. For Denise, the sea turtle represents many things. “Sea turtles have longevity of life, they’re wise, they take their wisdom one day at a time, they learn things a day at a time and then they take that as a lesson and they incorporate it into their own lives. Sea turtles also take a strong hit, they take it in & keep on going as if nothing happened. I see that in my brother. All positive. He has hope and is very optimistic for the future.” Angel responded to this decision with his typical modesty and smile. He said, “It was beautiful when she said that to me. I was touched, it means a lot. It’s something special, and the meaning of that is amazing. I feel like all of us should have that meaning of the turtle. Be optimistic and be positive all the time because it’s the only way forward.”