Dad gets tattoo to match daughter’s heart surgical scar

A 4-year-old girl from Illinois probably has had more major surgeries in her short life than many adults do in their entire lifetime.

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Everly Backe had three open-heart surgeries before she turned one. She proudly wears a scar on her chest, “Good Morning America” reported.

She had her first surgery at 3 days old after being born with a critical congenital heart defect.

Her family calls the scar her zipper because doctors will have to reopen it and close it up again to help her, mom Lauren Backe told “Good Morning America.”

But now, her dad matches the mark that was left on Everly.

Matt Backe has a scar of his own that is identical to that of Everly’s. But instead of surgery, he had it done as a tattoo on his chest in January, The Chicago Tribune reported.

“I heard Evie make mention about the zipper, just asking more questions than usual,” Matt Backe told “GMA.” “My thought was if I could get something that was a replica of it, we could be zipper buddies and she would not have the feeling of being alone.”

He told the Tribune, “I decided to do that so she didn’t feel alone, especially as she gets older and is at the beach or the pool or whatever the case may be — the fact that she can look at me and be like, ‘oh, I’m not the only one that has this scar.’”

A tattoo artist used a photo of Everly to recreate the scar on her father’s chest last month. It is Matt Backe’s first and only, he told the newspaper. Since then, Everly looks at his tattoo and compares it to her scar.

Everly told “GMA,” “He didn’t want me to be alone. He wanted to be special like me.”

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The tattoo may even become a family tradition as Everly’s older brother, Jack, 10, said he wants to have the same thing done when he turns 18.

Lauren Backe even got her own tattoo, but one that is a bit different from her husband’s. She has an electrocardiogram line inked on her arm along with both her son’s and daughter’s initials.

February marks American Heart Month, the Tribune reported.

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