Singaporean woman and her 91-year-old grandfather get matching tattoos to signify their ‘special bond’

April 21, 2022

A 91-year-old grandfather, who last got tattooed over 70 years ago, agreed to get a matching “pray” tattoo with his 27-year-old granddaughter.

When Singapore-based Kimberly Andrea Lim, 27, first brought up the idea of getting matching tattoos with her grandfather, Ortega Francis, she recalled his excitement and how “his eyes lit up,” reported AsiaOne. Although Ortega hadn’t been inked in over 70 years and was worried that his skin would not be able to handle a tattoo at his age, he decided to go through with the idea.

“He was actually really excited,” Lim told AsiaOne. “I told him that this tattoo would signify our special bond, also because I’m his favorite grandchild.”

Lim added that Ortega agreed, as he always had an enthusiasm for tattoos.

“He’s always loved tattoos since he was young, so to be able to experience getting a tattoo again after 70 over years, you can imagine how refreshed and alive he felt,” Kimberly explained.

The tattoo artist behind the duo’s new ink is Lim’s 34-year-old boyfriend, Christopher Sim. Sim has previously done 21 tattoos for Lim, including a set of matching tattoos for Lim, her mother and sister.

According to Lim’s Instagram post, Lim and Ortega received their matching tattoos sometime in 2021. She shared a series of photos showing their matching ink as well as a video of her grandfather getting tattooed, noting that it was “one of the wildest but best things that happened in 2021.”

As for the inspiration behind the matching “pray” tattoo, Lim explained to AsiaOne that she grew up Catholic and her grandfather would always remind her to pray. She also said that it serves as a reminder of her “family’s roots” and that religion plays an important role for her family.

Lim’s grandfather has already decided on an idea for his next tattoo, which will be of the Virgin Mary.

Lim’s 70-year-old grandmother, Elizabeth Fernandez, also received her first-ever tattoo by Sim on the same day.

“I was gonna make another post for it, there’s just way too many good photos,” Lim said.

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