A Tattoo Saved My Mom's Life

I didn’t realize as a young adult the full impact that my first tattoo would have on my mom.  When I got that first tattoo, she was pretty scandalized.  She definitely didn’t appreciate the artistic value or even the way it made me feel.  For me, getting that first tattoo was a symbol of real independence and a stepping stone on the journey of becoming my own person.  For my mom it was probably just another way I was rebelling.

Fast forward 17 years… my mom and I are with my aunt and cousin in a tattoo shop and we aren’t there for me!  My aunt has decided that it’s time for her to do something for herself, something that is just hers.  A devout Christian in her 50s, she’s the last person I would dream of getting a tattoo, but hey, she’s definitely old enough to make that decision!  Besides, I always knew she was a little bit crazy - with 7 kids who wouldn’t be?  My mom is along for the ride, and having already gotten 1 tattoo about 10 years ago (sometimes kids DO influence their parents) starts thinking it’s time for another.

My mom and I talk about design and settle on a butterfly.  My mom has been going through some tough times and changes over the last year and the butterfly is a beautiful symbol of new life.  She chooses her design and talks with the artist.   While watching my aunt get her tattoo, she got some “butterflies” in her stomach, but they didn’t stop her from getting one inked on her back.

What a blessing that she did…

Shortly after getting the tattoo a couple of spots on her back started to bother her.  They were itchy and irritating.  She knew that wasn’t normal and after having been to the doctor several time to have melanomas (skin cancer) removed, she was pretty sure what it was.  She made an appointment immediately and the doctor found 5 spots of skin cancer, and 2 of those were right next to the tattoo.  Because they were all on her back, if she hadn’t felt something they would have been hard to spot.

I went with her to the doctor to have them removed.  4 of the spots were fairly small and didn’t take too much to remove, but one, most likely the one that had been bugging her, was larger and had to be cut out!  Can you imagine if it had continued to grow?  The doctor cut out a piece of skin that was about an inch and a half long, an inch wide and a half inch deep.  That was the cancer, the cancer that if it had gone undetected could have gotten even bigger and spread, the very same cancer that was found by a butterfly tattoo.

Our God is so awesome and so amazing that He can work through anything, even a tattoo!