Health & Fitness
Crystal Lake Dad Gets Tattoo To Show Support For Daughter, 4
Four-year-old Everly Backe has had to undergo several surgeries to address a heart defect.
CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — A Crystal Lake dad recently decided to do something very special to make sure his 4-year-old daughter, who has undergone several heart surgeries and medical procedures in her short life, did not feel alone or self-conscious in the coming years.
Everly Backe had her first open heart surgery shortly after she was born and has had many medical procedures since, with more expected in the coming years, according to NBC Chicago. Lately, she's become more aware of the scars on her chest, which her family refer to as her "zipper" and her mom, Lauren, says is her "badge of courage."
So her father, Matt Backe, decided to get a tattoo of his daughter's "zipper" scar on his chest to show his support, according to the article.
Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Caryfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"If she becomes self-conscious about it, I can be right next to her and say, the heck with it! Look at us, we both got our zippers," said Matt Backe. "My thought process is that, as she gets older, perhaps it’ll be something that we can bond over or just that she has appreciation that she’s not alone."
This is not the first time the Backe family has made headlines over the ways they've showed their support for "Evie."
Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Caryfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Shortly after Everly was born, her older brother, Jack, who was 6 years old at the time, won a contest after designing a hospital gown he thought "Evie" would enjoy wearing. He said he did not like the gowns she had to wear at the time.
He submitted a new design as part of a contest sponsored by Starlight Children's Foundation – an organization that creates colorful and fun hospital gowns for children. In April 2018, the foundation announced that Jack's design was their winner and will now be featured on 30,000 gowns.
When Everly was 2 years old, the Backe family appeared as part of a Ronald McDonald ad campaign.
At the time, the Backe family was regularly using Ronald McDonald housing in Oak Lawn so they could be close to Everly as she underwent various operations for the heart defect she was born with.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
