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Parents will do just about anything to make their kids feel loved. For New York-based Eric Conklin, that meant getting a tattoo to match the scar on his son’s chest. His little boy, Bennet, was born with a congenital heart defect and spent over a month in the Pediatric Cardiac ICU. In that short time, Bennet went through seven surgeries, which left him with a long scar down his chest.
Featuring a long scar shape in the middle of his chest and across his upper stomach, Conklin’s tattoo is an exact replica of the scar his son has carried since just days after birth. He got it to honor young Bennet’s fight for life, and to remind his son he’ll never have to face that battle alone. “I got a tattoo that means more to me than anything else I’ll ever put on my skin,” wrote Conklin on Instagram. “I wanted him to know he’s never alone in this fight. His scar is his story of survival. Mine is a promise: whatever he carries, I’ll carry too.”
Thankfully, Bennet is now recovering at home, and Conklin hopes their story will bring comfort to other families facing similar challenges. He says, “This isn’t just a tattoo, it’s a tribute to my son’s strength, and a call for awareness of congenital heart defects. So many families quietly battle through this every day, and I want everyone to know that we are not alone.” He adds, “Benny, you are my hero. And now we wear the same armor.”
Despite his family’s difficult circumstances, Conklin remains incredibly grateful for all the people who helped keep Bennet alive. “To the doctors, nurses and staff at Mount Sinai NICU and PCICU. There is absolutely no way that we can express our gratitude towards each and every one of you,” he writes on Instagram. “Not only did you save our boy’s life, you advocated for him ferociously the entire way. Some people will go their whole lives and never get a chance to see how many truly good people this world has to offer, and our boy got to spend the first seven weeks of his life surrounded by hundreds of them.”
Conklin was tattooed by Jimmy Ingram (aka Jimmyinks), owner of Sunken Ship Tattoo Studio in Boonton, New Jersey.
Eric Conklin: Instagram
Source: Today I got a tattoo that means more to me than anything else I’ll ever put on my skin
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