A new tattoo parlor opened its doors in Yorktown Heights Saturday – owned and run by a woman named Gianna Caranfa.

“It’s hard for women to get a start because no one takes you seriously in this field,” says Caranfa.

The odds didn’t stop her from pursuing a career in tattooing, nor did it stop her from opening “Bee Inked” in her hometown.

“If you know what you love, you just keep fighting through it,” says Caranfa. 

The 28-year-old is shattering a glass ceiling with her gift of art. For Caranfa, tattoos are more than ink and skin – she says she wants to make a difference in someone’s life.

That’s because a gifted surgeon once made a difference in her life. 

Caranfa suffered from a brain stem tumor as a child, and was supposed to be paralyzed on the left side of her body, then she says a miracle happened that inspired her to dream big and start her own tattoo business. 

“Tattooing, I realized, is like being a therapist in a way that people come, they talk to you,” says Caranfa.

She hopes her story may inspire other women to pursue careers in male dominated fields.

“The road is always different and you’re always going to end up somewhere a little off your path, but you're going to end up being so happy when you make it,” Caranfa says.

Bee Inked is now open and is by appointment only.