Granny's 'Do Not Resuscitate' Tattoo

81-year-old takes a stand

Granny's 'Do Not Resuscitate' Tattoo

For any tattoo naysayer, the statement "But imagine what it'll look like when you grow old" is never far away in an argument.

But in this instance, 81-year-old Joy Tomkins has proved that sometimes a tattoo can be an extremely useful tool for an elderly person.

After her husband suffered a slow and painful death, she made the decision to let doctors know that she doesn't want to suffer the same fate when her time comes. Although she doesn't suffer from any terminal illness, the grandmother-of-six visited a tattoo parlour earlier this year and spent £5 on the two tattoos, which can be seen below. Not only did she have 'Do Not Resuscitate' tattooed on her chest but she also had P.T.O inked on her back, along with an arrow.

She's hoping that when she is taken to hospital, her wishes will be respected and she'll be allowed to have a peaceful death.

(Images: Albanpix)

Marc Chacksfield
Content Director

As Content Director of Shortlist, Marc likes nothing more than to compile endless lists of an evening by candlelight. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.