Caring Walsall dad gets hearing aid tattoo to match son's device
A Black Country father has been inked in a unique place as a tribute to his son.
Brad Russell, from Willenhall, has had his left ear and side of his head tattooed with an image of a hearing aid, having made a promise to his seven-year-old son Jesse-Harlow that he would get one.
Jesse-Harlow, who goes to school at Bentley West Primary in Walsall, was born with partial hearing and wears hearing aids in both ears, and Brad said he chose to get it done after weeks of promising his son he would get one.
He said: "Ever since he was born and it was diagnosed about his hearing, I was left wondering how he would cope with it, so I said to him I would get one as well to wear with him.
"He would keep asking me about when I was going to get it and I would keep saying it would be soon, and this went on over a few weeks, so I thought that instead of getting a dud one to wear, I'd get a tattoo in the same shape as his.
"It didn't hurt that much and the one on my leg hurt a lot more, although it was a bit weird on my head as I could hear my teeth rattling, but the pain wasn't too bad."
The tattoo shows a line coming out of the 31-year-old's ear and then looped around his ear in the same shape as a normal hearing aid.
Mr Russell said the amount of time taken at Boundless Ink in Aldridge to get it done had been worth it for the reaction from Jesse-Harlow, who he said was delighted to see it.
"He was over the moon and there was a massive smile on his face, saying 'Oh my god' and laughing at the sight of it," he said.
"I think it will do him good in the long run as he doesn't let his situation bother him and just approaches things with a smile on his face every day, and now he's not on his own as his dad's got the same thing as him.
"I think as well that it's a great thing to inspire kids as they know they're not on their own and I've seen a few people on Facebook who've had the same sort of things done.
"It's great for Jesse-Harlow as well as he is such a lovely kid and never complains about having hearing aids, so it's nice to have something where we are forever linked."
