Crystal Lake father gets tattoo to match daughter's surgical scar: 'He wanted to be special like me'

What is a congenital heart defect? 40K babies are born each year with congenital heart disease
Monday, February 7, 2022
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (WLS) -- A Crystal Lake father got a tattoo for his little girl, but it's not her name or her picture.

It's a tattoo made to look like a scar down his chest.
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He wanted to match his 4-year-old, who has a scar on her chest from several heart surgeries.

RELATED: Go Red For Women 2022 with heart disease survivor Star Jones

The Backe family, Matt, Lauren, Everly and Jack, joined ABC7 Chicago Monday morning to talk about the decision.

"He wanted to be special like me," Everly said.
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Everly has a congenital heart defect: 40,000 babies are born each year with congenital heart disease, the most common type of birth defect.



This Heart Month, and every day, the Backe family is working to raise awareness of congenital heart defects and support families through their journeys.
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