“My First Tattoo “ Chapter 45

I'm 56 years old. I served 21 years in the Army. I enjoy looking at tattoos, so you would think for sure I would have at least one. But I don’t.

Before the Army, I simply couldn’t afford it. Hell, I couldn’t afford my rent, which is why I joined the Army in the first place.

In basic training, a lot of my peers went out and got tattoos on our first pass.  By then I started thinking I might join a three letter agency one day, and didn’t want identifying marks on my body. Then over the years, I just never thought enough about anything to put something my sexy body. Think about it, you would never put a tattoo on the statue of David, would you?

Thursday night I was sitting at home after attending the DC ALS CEO Soak, and thought, "I want a tattoo and I know what I want." So I sent a text to my family and asked, "who wants to get a tattoo with me?" and they all said yes. To be honest, I was surprised that they did.

My daughter called around and found a small, three-artist shop in Fairfax, VA called “Amour Tattoo Shop” that could take the whole family AND could accommodate my wheelchair. (https://amourtattoova.com).

When we got there, we were greeted by Choung, Mimi, and Jasmin. The shop is located on the second floor and the building has an elevator.  Each artist had a private room. All very clean, nicely lit, and personalized. To top it off Choung is a Cowboys fan. Go Cowboys!

I was first and had my design ready. Two little words that have come to be my mantra: “FCK ALS," just like the sticker my daughter created in her own handwriting. This was it. After 56 years I knew what I wanted on my stone chiseled body, and Mimi Was the artist given the honor to do so.

She started off with a stencil of our sticker sized down for the location.  As I sat quietly, my daughter sat with us telling our story. Mimi was so cool she let the whole family come in and out taking pictures. She had good music in the background and was very attentive to make sure I was comfortable. Thirty minutes later and I was ready for Instagram (no filters needed).

I selected my arm because I want it to be seen, I want people to ask me about ALS and was also told arms are less painful. I was ready - bring on the pain! When Mimi got started, she explained she has a soft hand, and she definitely does.  Yes, it was uncomfortable, but acupuncture was way worse.

Next was the girls. One by one we sat down and got our own version of the same tattoo. Dominique and I had Mimi and Corina and Chantelle were tatted by Jasmine. Start to finish for all of us was a little over two hours. If you’re in the area and want a tattoo, Amour is the place to go.

At the End of the Day, we all had our new tattoos and were happy. The family that plays together, stays together. If you are wondering why Laura didn’t get a tattoo, she didn’t get permission from her parents. True fact, we called them.

All PALS are different mentally and physically. Our care and the stage of progression differs from PALS to PALS. This is a contributing factor to why it’s so hard to find a cure. A tattoo will not cure ALS, but it sure does help me feel mentally better. If you can find one thing every day that gives you a smile that’s one more day of happiness.

Love and blessings.