I Have Three Tattoos for Down Syndrome Awareness

Whether you like tattoos or not, you might agree it is a way to remember something forever. A tattoo will never go away, and each tattoo has its own meaning behind it.

Three of my tattoos have a special meaning. All three are for Down syndrome awareness. Each one has its own little story.

My first Down syndrome awareness tattoo was done on World Down Syndrome Day in 2016. It was from a design I had seen on a T-shirt online and I instantly thought it would make a great tattoo on my wrist. What made it even more special was the fact that both mum and I got it on Rory’s first World Down Syndrome Day. I added the heart to the design instead of just the numbers. The tattoo is 3:21. This represents Rory’s chromosomes. People with Down Syndrome have three copies of the 21st chromosome.

My second and third Down syndrome tattoos were  done on the same day, and one was a last-minute decision. The biggest of the two tattoos on my arm underneath my 3:21 tattoo has a secret meaning. The design itself was made by a mother of a child with Down syndrome, and each part of the arrow has a different meaning. An arrow has to be pulled back in order to shoot forward, it is to show we are preparing for our amazing future with our special person with Down syndrome. Included in the tattoo are the Roman numerals for 21. This represents the 21st chromosome. The dots represent trisomy. The rings in the center represent the connections made between families. The overlapping triangles mean strength and resilience.

My third tattoo is the #theluckyfewtattoo. It is much smaller and is on my ear. Yes, on my ear. I’ve been looking to get one there for years and this design seem to fit perfectly. The three arrows represent three copies of the 21st chromosome and how we rise up and move forward.

My tattoos mean so much to me but they are done in a way that I know exactly what they mean, even if someone else doesn’t. I also have the choice to cover them up if I ever need to.

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