New Carlisle, Indiana - In 2019, Marissa Ellett suffered fourth-degree burns to her shoulders and torso. More than four years later, she has turned those traumatic scars into a tattoo she calls her "masterpiece".

While cooking an Alfredo on the stove top in her kitchen, Marissa Ellett had smelt something strange. Looking down, she noticed that her shirt was on fire. The flames engulfed her within seconds.

According to Ellett, the fire crept up her shirt and "exploded off the sides of my arms". She describes it like she had become a "real life phoenix", only managing to get the flames put out by grabbing a hose on her patio.

The flames had burnt through all the layers of her skin, attacking her chest, neck, arms, and back. She was rushed to hospital where she underwent a treatment process that lasted years.

In an attempt to turn the horrific scars caused by the accident into something beautiful, Ellett decided to cover her wounds in tattoos of hot pink peonies because of both her love for the flower and her need to move on from the scars.

"When I beat this, when I recover, I'm going to get this whole thing tattooed," she told WNDU, describing what she would think about during treatment. "I'm going to get hot pink peonies because I love peonies, and peonies have been big in our family for generations."

Ellett still suffers from post-traumatic stress due to the experience, the injuries, and the pain. Covering herself in a tattoo that she thinks of as a "masterpiece" helps to relieve that stress.

"I wanted to do something different to symbolize my survival," she said. "This tattoo helped take my life back and gave me confidence to wear what I want to wear without having to explain my story."