Llandaff North couple hold tattoo marathon for son who died of cancer

A pair of Llandaff North tattooists have held an 18-hour ink-athon in memory of their two-year-old son who died of cancer.

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The G.O.I Studio in Llandaff North where the 18-hour tattoo marathon took place.

Mark and Lisa Richmond of G.O.I Tattoo Studio raised £2,386 by doing 76 tattoos in 18 hours. The money will be split between Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff and Acorns Children’s Hospice, where their son Ayden spent time before dying from a rare form of cancer in 2005.

The event began at noon on Halloween and finished just before 6am the next morning. Afterwards, Lisa spoke of her delight at the community’s support.

She said: “It was a good turnout and a great event. A huge thank-you to everyone who came in to get inked and show their support as without you we wouldn’t have raised funds for two great charities.

“We even had a lad who had a stamp mark on his bum with his date of birth and the word Delivered.”

Lisa also praised the charities that will benefit from the proceeds.

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A customer goes under the needle for Mark Richmond.

“We have raised the money for the charities as my 29-month-old son passed away at Acorns and my mother-in-law has just been diagnosed with cancer and will be using Velindre for radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

“Acorns do a great job for families with children who are life-limited. They looked after my son Ayden so well and they rely solely on public donations to stay open.”

Ayden, who suffered from a form of cancer so rare that doctors could not tell his parents its name, had a positive experience at Acorns Children’s Hospice, said Lisa.   

“The room Ayden was in when passing had a cot and beautiful music playing quietly. It was so much better then him being in a morgue. As my son was the first child to pass away in the hospice they have a stone in memory of him in the garden.”