Meleah Flynn’s husband and three daughters recently stopped by Blessing Hospital to see her name, which had been added to the memorial wall in the Blessing Cancer Center for donations received in her memory. Meleah passed away July 7, 2021, at the age of 54 after a two-year battle with stage 4 colon cancer.
During the visit, her family displayed their own memorial to the woman who meant the world to them – matching tattoos.
“The afternoon Meleah passed, the ICU nurse asked my three daughters and me to go to the consultation room because she wanted to give us something,” said Allen Flynn.
The nurse, Dakota Wand, gave each Flynn family member an electrocardiogram tracing of Meleah’s last heartbeat, and on the tracing was her thumbprints, captured by the nurse in the shape of a heart. It’s something the ICU care team does for each family, if the family wishes.
“This took our breath away. It was an amazing act of compassion and care, not only for Meleah, but for our entire family,” Allen continued. “All four of us knew instantly we wanted to get this tattooed on our forearms. It was kind of a surreal moment to hear my daughters all say this at the same time.”
The Flynns added touches of their own to the tattoo, a cross and the phrase “I love you”.
For Mother’s Day 2021, Meleah wrote her famous “Mama’s Rolls” recipe on cards for each of the girls with a small note on the back. The “I love you” on the tattoo came from there.
“The tattoo artist matched her handwriting perfectly,” Allen described.
The Flynn family says the cross represents Jesus and the fact He was the center of her life. The placement of the cross within the tattoo design – at the end of the tracing - represents that Meleah preached the Gospel all the way up to her last heartbeat, before going to be with Jesus.
“To us this is not just a tattoo. It is a legacy of her life,” Allen concluded.
“Our mom was a pillar of strength and the perfect example for us of how a Godly woman leads her life,” said Meleah’s daughters - Alexis, Jordan and Kelsie. “With that said, one of the biggest things mom taught us through this journey is that even though we have God at the center of our lives, it doesn’t mean we won’t endure hardships. God doesn’t always take you out of the storm, but He does carry you through them.”
ICU nurse Dakota Wand was moved when she saw a photo of the Allen family and their matching Meleah tattoos.
“I think it’s amazing and it’s beautiful,” she said “I like they added their own personal touch to it. I am glad that it means so much to them.”