Grandma Shares Adorable Journey To Get Her First Tattoo At Age 82

As with anything in life that's more of an art than a science, it can vary wildly as to how well a tattoo will turn out.

Whether it's because of a bad idea or just some bad execution, there are no shortage of tattoos that end up as nothing more than fonts for instant regret.

But at the same time, there are just as many that clearly mean a lot to the person wearing them and the longer people wait before getting their first one, the more that tattoo is likely to symbolize.

But that's far from the only reason why more people than anyone would have expected were so supportive when one grandma decided it was time to get one herself.

In a video uploded to TikTok on October 15, Brandy O'Reilly recorded her 82-year-old grandmother Judy Dede saying, "I'm gonna blow your mind. I want to get a tattoo."

As she explained in a separate video, this is something that she wanted to do for herself after years of not really thinking about whether she'd like one or not.

And once she read a story about an 80-year-old woman getting a tattoo in Reader's Digest, that seemed to clinch it for her.

As she said, "My husband had tattoos but back in that day, it was unheard of for a woman to have a tattoo."

Fortunately for Dede, her granddaughter had already gotten seven tattoos by then, so she knew how to coach her.

As O'Reilly told Good Morning America, "Our biggest concern was her skin because of her age. I made sure that she had something good in her belly before we left, because you can't go get a tattoo on an empty stomach, and [she] drank lots of water to make sure that her skin was hydrated."

And since O'Reilly had good experiences at Black Sheep Tattoo in Fort Wayne, Indiana, that seemed like the perfect place for her grandmother's first.

But what neither of them expected was that by the time Dede went under the needle on October 30, at least 3 million viewers from around the world were already cheering her on.

As she said, "When I made my decision to do this, it was just me and my girls. Every day I'm just in awe of what's going on around me."

And as we can see in this video, Dede took the painful process of getting a tattoo like a champ. However, the session had to be cut short after 15 minutes due to the bruising and swelling she ended up experiencing.

Nonetheless, she's excited to come back and finish it as soon as she can.

And considering what that tattoo represents, it's no surprise that she'd remain as steadfast in finishing it as ever.

The tattoo's framing device is a treble clef that represents her love of music, but it also features a fish hook with a heart in honor of Dede's husband, who passed away in July.

Although it hasn't been filled in yet, a small purple ribbon will also be included as a memorial to loved ones the family has lost to cancer over the years. Furthermore, O'Reilly, her wife, her mother and two of her sons have got their own matching tattoos in solidarity, with O'Reilly's 10-year-old drawing his own in Sharpie.

And Dede doesn't anticipate this will be her last tattoo either, as she's planning on another one for her 83rd birthday.

As she put it, "People think I’m done now. I think I’m just beginning."

h/t: Good Morning America

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