Kelli McKenna of New Hampshire has been trying to figure out where to get a Patriots tattoo for her whole life, and this year, she finally figured out where she wants her Pats ink.
After being diagnosed with breast cancer in September, Kelli began chemotherapy and ultimately lost her hair. Before the AFC Divisional game, Kelli decided to put a temporary Patriots tattoo on her head, tweeting out a picture and writing, "Breast cancer took my hair but never my passion for the Patriots."
It didn't take long for the tweet to go viral. The show of strength resonated with people all over the country, and the Patriots extended an invitation for Kelli and her daughter to come to the AFC Championship game.
"I was thrilled. The whole last two days have been a whirlwind. I'm excited and excited to share it with my daughter," Kelli said. "My family, we're all huge fans."
Despite her diagnosis, Kelli maintains a positive outlook. With her upbeat attitude in the face of adversity, Kelli knows what it means to live by the "Not Done" mantra.
"When I found out, I was like, 'This can't be happening. what we are going to do?' The next step is you have to go and find out how bad it is. Then you think you can't do that and you can't deal with that, but there you are doing it," Kelli said. "Then you get your treatment plan, and you're thinking, 'I can't go through chemo. I have children and I'm working,' but then you're doing it. It's just one day at a time, one game at a time. It's a battle."
But for the day on Sunday, Kelli and her daughter were able to relax and watch their team win another AFC Championship, led by Tom Brady, her favorite player. Kelli has Tom Brady license plates and loves the way he grinds it out on the field.
So when she goes to get that real tattoo, she has a few ideas.
"When the treatment is all over, we're going to get the real thing [on my head]," Kelli said. "Whatever I get, it's going to have a 12 in it."
