When it comes to tattoos, it’s usually young, carefree people who are associated with getting inked and not 80-year-old grandmothers.
Nevertheless, Jan Bearman decided that she would get some ink done on her arm, even though she is 80 and has never had a tattoo before, as a kind of memorial to her daughter who passed away.
Sadly, Jan from Australia lost her daughter Shelley suddenly and decided she wanted to honor her with a tattoo.
As Jan told reporters, “Before I lost my darling Shell I wouldn’t have dreamed of having a tattoo. But when something like that happens you’re left grasping at straws. There’s a hole left in your life and all you can do is say your prayers.”
Jan spoke about how hard it was for her to stop thinking about her daughter after her untimely death, “There were reminders of her all around me, and I decided to get a reminder of her on me,” she said.
When Shelley died in 2011 from diabetes, at the age of 56, her two daughters and husband got tattoos in memory of her.
Jan said, “And then I just couldn’t think of a reason to not get one. Shell was just such a gorgeous girl. It’s a loss that leaves a hole in your heart that’s never filled again. You do these things as a memorial, to carry [her] with you.”
Surprisingly, Shelley herself didn’t have any tattoos, but her mom is convinced she would be happy that her family had them done in her memory, Shell didn’t have any tattoos but I’d like to think she’d have a smile to herself if she saw them on me,” Jan said.
Even though she was never a tattoo enthusiast, Jan has reportedly had a second set of ink done , with her daughter’s initials, as another commemoration to her.
[Image credit: Wikihow.com]
