Every time Everly looked at the scar running across her chest after several heart surgeries, she had questions about it. Her dad, Matt Backe, found an unexpected way to be there for her: he got exactly the same scar tattooed on his own chest.
Everly was born with a serious heart condition and had to undergo three open-heart surgeries before her first birthday. To her, that mark was part of a story she was still learning to understand. Matt wanted her to know that she didn’t have to feel different or face it alone, so he took a photo of the scar to the tattoo artist and asked them to reproduce it on his chest.
When the girl saw the result, she immediately understood the gesture. From then on, father and daughter could show their scars together. He decided to wear the same mark as her so Everly would know she wasn’t alone.
