No regret in getting matching tattoos with family
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Please ignore the paint-swatched wall. I'm mid-project. Photos: Arika Herron/Axios
This is a story about regret and how to avoid it.
State of play: I've always liked tattoos — the symbolism, the artistry, the meaningfulness they can have.
- But I'd never quite been able to commit to getting one.
- What if you change your mind in a few years? Or that movie quote (yes, that was something I considered) doesn't mean as much down the road? Will I regret it?
- I mean, it's forever.
Yes, but: That all changed last year after my dad was diagnosed with cancer. It was, of course, scary and awful and all the things that too many people understand all too well.
- It's something he continues to live with, but he finished six rounds of chemotherapy last August and is doing well today.
As soon as dad started talking about getting his first tattoo to commemorate completing chemo — which he did while continuing to work his incredibly physical job installing irrigation and without any delays in the treatment schedule, a rarity with his course of treatment — any reservations I had about the permanency of tattoos went right out the window.
- My immediate reaction was something along the lines of: "Hell yeah. I'll do it with you."
- My older sister's reaction was basically the same, with a side of terrified.
Between the lines: Chemo takes a toll on just about everything, including the skin. It was recommended that dad wait at least six months after finishing treatment to get tattooed.
How it worked: Dad had an idea in mind — a six, for the number of treatments, and the date he finished.
- I made a few designs and he chose the one he liked best.
The latest: Last weekend, my parents Laurie and Dan (hi mom and dad!), sister Marisa and niece Nadia — who all live in northern Indiana — came down for our appointment with Brian at Masterwork Tattoo.
- Dad, Marisa and I all got our first tattoos — matching designs that will forever serve as a reminder of the strength dad instilled in us and the love that got us through our family's toughest year.
The bottom line: Get matching tattoos with the people you love most in this world — you won't regret it.