Shop offering memorial tattoo to honor suicide victim
Jul. 25—Serena Jarvis had her first tattoo planned out.
It was going to be Jiji, a cat voiced by Phil Hartman from the 1989 Studio Ghibli anime "Kiki's Delivery Service."
"She liked anime and that was my fault," said her mother, Kailei Jarvis, who introduced her daughter to the genre. "She always said that it was my fault she loved anime."
Serena never got her tattoo. The Logansport native took her life, passing on March 4, 2020, at the age of 19.
Sunday, July 31, 2022, is Serena's birthday. To remember her, and to help raise awareness about suicide, Fatt Matt's Tatts, 1416 Balsam St., will spend the day offering Serena's chosen tattoo for $50.
Matt Hopkins, who runs the small studio based out of his home, has specialized his tattoo artistry on compassionate tasks such as covering up gang and prison tattoos to help reformed offenders get jobs, or problematic tattoos that might keep someone from joining the military.
He said the memorial tattoo for Serena was special and dear to his heart.
"We just want people to know that anyone who sees this tattoo — it's a symbol," said Hopkins. "That's someone you can talk to. That was the tattoo that she wanted right before she took her life. There's no reason a teenager, or anybody, should feel so afraid and so cornered that they have to end their own life."
Customers may pay more than the $50 cost of the tattoo and any extra funds will be donated to Cass County suicide prevention.
Tattoos have become a popular symbol of mental health support and awareness, particularly the semicolon.
Project Semicolon began as a social media movement in 2013 to raise awareness of mental health issues. Eventually, people began getting the symbol tattooed to represent their own struggles. The semicolon represents a pause and a continuation in one's life, the overcoming of an obstacle.
Jarvis hopes her daughter's tattoo comes to symbolize that people are loved and there are alternatives to committing suicide.
"I'm very appreciative of it," she said of Hopkins' efforts. "He is going above and beyond, opening the shop on a day he is normally closed and going below his shop minimum (price)."
She said her daughter was a loving and compassionate person, noting she would volunteer to stay after her work hours to make coffee for and talk with those who came into her workplace for Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Serena was an organ donor, giving many people new opportunities when her own life ended. Her best friend, Lillianne Plummer, said it was the most Serena thing she could have done.
"Serena is moonbeams and spitfire personified," Plummer said. "She always had a comeback, a quick jab, something to make you smile or laugh."
Serena was studying at Indiana University Kokomo with the intent of working as a large animal vet at a zoo. Besides anime, she loved horror movies, her mother said.
"It's OK to not be OK," Jarvis said. "And there are always resources and people who are willing to help."
Those interested in getting the tattoo on Sunday need only to walk in. No appointment is required. The image is the only tattoo that will be done that day, however, said Hopkins. And the lowered price only applies to that particular tattoo.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death in Indiana for those between the ages of 10 and 34, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Those experiencing a mental health crisis or in need of mental health services may call or text the national crisis hotline at 988.
Four County Behavior Health Services may also be reached at 574-722-5151.
