Tattoo is a form of body modification that has always been a part of different cultures across the world. In other culture, people ink their skin as a form of worship while others do so to express their rank in society. Today, tattoo is considered as a form of art that people wear to express themselves.
What makes tattoo even more interesting today is the fact that it speaks so much about the person sporting it. Tattoos are, after all, kind of permanent, so most people decide to ink themselves with a design that means so much to them. More often than not, you’ll be surprised by the stories tattoos tell if only you would ask about them.
In addition, tattoos are also more celebrated and widely accepted today. With popular celebrities and notable personalities sporting a tattoo like David Beckham, Ed Sheeran, and Tim Burton, the stigma that used to come with tattoos is fading.
The latest celebrity who sported a tattoo is Michael J Fox, popularly known as Marty McFly of Back to The Future Trilogy. The Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe awardee graced the tattoo chairs of Bang Bang NYC, a popular tattoo salon that inked hollywood’s a-listers like Rihanna, Adele, and Cara Delevigne.
After thinking hard about it, Fox finally decided it is about time in his 57 years of existence to sport a tattoo. Fox consulted the resident tattoo artist of Bang Bang, Mr. K on the month of October last year. And just this month, Mr. K, who specializes in micro style and single needle, made Fox’s dream tattoo come true!
For his first tattoo, Fox chose a black-and-white sea turtle with an injured right fin. In the same tattoo, the turtle is shown to be swimming through five rings of water. From his Instagram post alone, one could easily say that Fox is more than happy and satisfied about the result of his first tattoo experience. Together with his stunning tattoo was a caption that reads:
“First tattoo, sea turtle, long story.”
Happy for his minimalist sea turtle, Fox gave Bang Bang and Mr. K a signed pair of Nike Mags sneakers and a hover-board as his token of gratitude.
According to an interview with Inked Magazine, Keith McCurdy or Bang Bang, Fox’s minimalist sea turtle has a compelling and sentimental story.
“He was telling me that there was a transformation for him with his career decisions when he was swimming in Saint John,” Bang Bang recalled. “He spotted this turtle with a chunk missing from its fin and a scar on his face. And that turtle let him swim with him for about a half an hour.”
Apparently, his encounter with the scarred and injured turtle inspired him to make an important decision in his life.
“He made a transcending decision right after that,” Bang Bang revealed. “So that turtle was pretty significant to him.”
Although a lot of people know who Fox is, not everyone is aware of his story. Unbeknownst to most people, the esteemed actor was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. This progressive disorder affects the nerve cells in the brain responsible for body movement. Thus, people with this disease experiences either of the following: slowness of movement, involuntary shaking, stiffness, and imbalance.
“It was pretty scary,” Fox shared how he felt about his diagnosis in an interview. “I was 29 years old and so it was the last thing I expected to hear.”
But Fox did not let his Parkinson’s disease stop him from conquering his dreams and living his life to the fullest.
“I thought I’d hurt my shoulder doing some stunt because I had a twitch in my pinkie. And the doctor said ‘You have Parkinson’s disease.’ He said, ‘The good news is that you have 10 years of work left’. That was 22 years ago and I’m still working.” Fox said, sharing his positive outlook in life.
Fortunately, Fox has a determination that wouldn’t bend to life’s challenges. SHARE his inspiring story that will remind people that no dream is impossible to conquer for someone who has the courage to chase after it despite adversities!