There is a scar from Jamie's appendicitis which leads into the lines of Toothless' repaired tail fin (in red). In the film, ‘How to train your dragon’, Toothless loses his tail fin when he is shot down by Hiccup and the film is about the journey of Toothless and Hiccup’s friendship, the tail fin repair and the support they offer one another throughout.

This tattoo story is an incredibly personal one. Jamie had an appendicitis in year 9 (roughly 12/13years old) which doctors initially missed, resulting in his appendix exploding.

From failed operations, bad infections and a couple of month long hospital stays, Jamie, was sent home with a bulge on his stomach where the scar was, in the hope it would die down but unfortunately, it didn’t. The bulge popped one evening and he woke up in a huge pool of blood, which resulted in another month-long stay in hospital with an open wound as it was too badly infected to stitch up!

One month later, it was sealed back up and naturally healed - A LOT for a 12 year old to experience and take on board, along with the large amounts of school missed due to hospital stays. While in hospital the film ‘How to train your Dragon’ is the one thing he remembers and gave him hope, especially after the second operation when he was feeling really bad. Jamie says, the film is about the boy's freedom, friendship, offering support and it inspires you to go out and do stuff.

“The film stuck with me and always will” recalls Jamie and it is why he has the tattoo on the scar.

The whole experience makes him grateful for every day of living and what he can do, so he'll always be thankful of that, he has definitely done more in his life due to the experience.

The film, much like life and Jamie's experience highlights how sometimes you just need a bit of support and help to regain your strength, to be able to tackle life at full capacity again.

Can you relate?