A heartwarming story from Alberta, Canada, has recently gone viral, featuring a father who surprised his son with a matching tattoo of his birthmark.
Derek Prue Jr., an eight-year-old boy who has always been self-conscious about his birthmark, was amazed when his dad, Derek Sr., revealed the tattoo in the shape of the mark, to make his son feel less alone.
The tattoo was a total surprise for Derek Jr., who said that his dad went and got it done secretly and unveiled it to him one day as he was playing with his sisters in a hotel swimming pool.
When the boy turned to face his father, he was speechless, fell back into the pool, and had a huge smile on his face.
"I was happy, and I was a little confused. I didn’t know he was going to do that," shared Derek Jr. with CBC News.
It wasn’t lost on Derek Sr. that his son was self-conscious about his birthmark, and he began to brainstorm ways to help him feel more confident without his shirt on.
Eventually, the idea of getting a matching tattoo of the birthmark began to take shape, but it wasn’t easy to find a tattoo artist who could re-create the pattern. Derek Sr. finally found Tony Gibbert, who owns the Juicy Quill tattoo studio in Stony Plain, Alberta, and he agreed to do the job.
To complete the replica, Derek Sr. had to sit for a total of 30 hours while Gibbert worked his magic. It wasn’t easy for him, as he had to endure the pain of a tattoo needle being dragged across his chest.
However, the loving dad didn’t sit for the entire 30-hour procedure all in one shot. Instead, the entire job was broken up into 3-4 hour sessions, and he had to keep his chest covered to maintain the secret.
When Derek Sr. finally revealed the tattoo to his son, the boy gained confidence and became brave enough to take his shirt off before jumping into the pool.
"Whenever Daddy’s there, I can take the shirt off," the boy proudly told his mother, Shanel Prue. Derek Sr. and his son now have the same marks for life, which has brought them even closer together.
The tattoo artist, Tony Gibbert, said he was touched by the dad’s devotion and was honored to be part of such a sweet story.
Source : https://mom.com