Mom’s decision to get inked for 70th birthday was not frivolous, but practical

A year ago, Susan Cho of Alewa Heights was approaching her 70th birthday and was having bad dreams about getting lost and not knowing how to find her way home.

With a history of dementia in her family, she was afraid of developing the same condition, although she’s of sound mind and in good health. Cho was seeing more frequent news reports about older people becoming confused and wandering about without identification, which increased her anxiety about how it could happen to her, she said.

That’s why she decided to get a tattoo in August, a couple of months ahead of her October birthday. She wasn’t being frivolous, like following a trend or making a fashion statement.

Instead, she had her daughter’s name and phone number inscribed on her left arm right below her wrist, with a tiny butterfly adorning the first line: “if found…”.

The tattoo would serve as permanent identification in an emergency, Cho thought, as she was always forgetting to put on her iWatch, which includes her identification and medical information. She never liked wearing medical alert bracelets.

Her daughter, Lisa K. Cho, a photographer and documentarian, said her mother asked her to do a photo essay on getting tattooed to encourage others to be more proactive about taking safety precautions for their health and welfare. Knowing how much her mom hates having her picture taken made her realize the importance of the request.

“I knew how much she wanted to help others. I feel that this photo story represents the loving kindness that I’ve always seen from both my parents. … helping other people, whether it’s people they know or strangers,” she said.

For the photo shoot, Lisa Cho used her favorite film camera, a 53-year-old Yashica 635 with Kodak Portra 800. She particularly likes the elegant quality of the film and how the vintage camera produces a softer, cinematic result.

The entire experience at the Working Class Tattoo Parlor in Kaimuki turned into a day of bonding they will never forget, thanks to tattoo artist Steven Lam. The women knew about him through their son and brother David Cho.

“We’d never met Steven but we heard about him forever. It was beautiful. … It was really soul nurturing,” Lisa Cho said.

Lam treated them like family as they talked about their lives and discussed details about the tattoo design and location on Susan Cho’s forearm, as her daughter shot photos from different angles. As a fellow artist, Lisa Cho understood his need to make a real connection with his clients, which is often reflected in the quality of the final product.

Susan Cho said he made her feel very relaxed, and the actual needlework lasted only five minutes. Although she was afraid it would hurt, “it wasn’t too bad.”

While people may hesitate to get a tattoo in fear of the pain, she recommends numbing the area with the type of cream used when she got her eyebrows done, a process that hurt a lot more than the tattoo. She was also impressed by Lam’s standards of cleanliness through each step of the procedure.

Most people have thought her tattoo was a great idea, and many said they’re going to talk to their parents about getting one, Susan Cho said; her daughter’s friends on Instagram had the same reaction.

“I feel so much better that I finally have this now. It makes me feel better knowing that my family can find me,” she said.