The following is an "essay" I wrote, and my tattoo artist submitted it to Skin and Ink magazine as part of a family-oriented tattoo theme.  It did not get published, but a picture of the tattoo was published in the September 2007 issue with Kat Von D of the TV show LA Ink on the cover.


Everywhere I go I take my wife and two kids with me – to work, the store, Jiu Jitsu training...everywhere.  Of course, I’m talking about my portrait tattoo of them that spreads across my back and right shoulder blade.  Over 15 hours of work by an incredible tattoo artist, Trish Picardi at Backstage Tattoos in Atco, NJ (www.backstagetattoos.com), produced an awesome likeness of my family.  The tattoo is based upon an original pencil portrait created by a phenomenal local artist, Phoebe Darlington (www.phoebedarlington.com).  I had Phoebe draw it for Julie as a Mother's Day gift in 2005.  She took three different pictures of Julie, Jackson, and Darcie and created an incredible piece that hangs on our wall.  The tattoo was then created out of that portrait.  As soon as I saw the pencil portrait in its finished state, I immediately thought to myself, "That portrait is going on my back in black and gray ink".  So two great artists "collaborated" on the effort - one piece is framed in my house, the other is etched forever on my back.  I give a special thanks to both Trish and Phoebe for their incredible talents.
 
Regarding the tattoo, people are always asking, “Why”, that is, after they "OOH" and "AAH" over the detail of the piece.  My children are both disabled, afflicted by a somewhat rare neurogenetic disorder called Angelman Syndrome (AS) – (www.angelman.org).  Jackson, who is now 9, was diagnosed at around age 2 while Julie was 5 months pregnant with our second child.  After Jackson was diagnosed, we learned that Julie is a genetic carrier of AS.  This means there is over a 50% chance that any child she bears could be affected.  Our beautiful daughter Darcie was born four months later, and she also has AS.  She is now almost 7 years old.  Our kids cannot say words and have somewhat limited cognitive and physical abilities.  However, they are incredibly bright, happy and affectionate children.

We began to learn more about AS and discovered that we are only 1 of about 20 or so families in the US with more than one “angel”.  It is incredibly rare for a person to be a carrier of the syndrome – most cases of AS are just one time occurrences.  I am still blown away at how rare our situation is.

I personally struggled tremendously at first (and still do) – I was depressed and angry and it took quite awhile for me to come to grips with it.  Julie was an absolute rock.  While dealing with two disabled kids and feeling responsible for passing her genes to them, she still managed to keep a positive attitude and maintain our household while I struggled endlessly.  Eventually I've come to embrace our life struggle, and I feel that I love my children more than anyone with “normal” kids could possibly love theirs.  While I still have my ups and downs, I've grown to appreciate and accept my kids for who they are and who they will be as they grow. 

Now, back to my ink....My back piece is my personal expression and tribute to Julie, Jackson and Darcie.  I know it seems weird but I am a lover of tattoo art.  Guys I know say things like, “I would definitely get my kids tattooed on me, but I’d be afraid to get my wife put on me in case we ever got divorced”.  I never ever even thought about.  My wife and I could divorce tomorrow and she still will be the strong woman who beared my two amazing kids and ran our household and lives while I struggled immensely.  She’ll always be that person, and my tattoo will always be my tribute to that strength, as well as to celebrate how great life truly can be with these two beautiful children.

- PJ


Please click on our PHOTOS page for a picture of PJ's tattoo; it is absolutely amazing.


Contact us:  julieandpj@voicesforangels.org