When Honey-Rae Phillips was born, she came into the world with a large red birthmark all down the right side of her body.
In a bid to make the now four-year-old feel special and proud of her birthmark, her mum Tanya and dad Adam decided to get their own duplicate version in a tattoo form.
Commenting on the move in the Mirror, Tanya said: “Most people might think it’s very extreme, but to us it was the natural thing to do to ensure our daughter never felt different or alone in the world.”
Recalling the moment that she first saw Honey-Rae’s birthmark, when she was lying in a hospital incubator, Tanya said she ‘sobbed and sobbed’ at the thought of that her daughter might be seen as “different”.
“Although in our eyes she was perfect, I knew other people would cruelly point and stare at her…Adam and I decided straight away that we wanted Honey-Rae to feel special, that her birthmark was something to feel proud of and not embarrassed by,” she added.
It was after an incident at the supermarket, when Tanya saw a couple pointing a Honey-Rae’s birthmark that she decided to take action. After paying for husband Adam to get the mark inked onto his own body, in the exact same place as Honey-Rae’s, Tanya went on to get the very same tattoo for her birthday.
Admitting that some people might consider the move unusual, Tanya said that they feel happier knowing that they have the same markings as their little one.
