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May 31, 2023

Disney ‘tattoos’ inked on Florida toddler as she fights malignant, inoperable cancer

A tattoo parlor in a hipster Florida neighborhood recently bent its rules and

A tattoo parlor in a hipster Florida neighborhood recently bent its rules and allowed a pastels-clad contrast to its typical clientele: a 3-year-old who grinned and giggled instead of wincing as she got inked in the black chair.

Fear not — little Trinity didn't get real tattoos in early April at Ink Wolves in Tampa. Instead, as Disney music replaced rock and rap in the background, and just beyond a stern "NO CHILDREN – NO EXCEPTIONS" sign, the toddler was treated to Sharpie designs of Disney characters, butterflies and other fanciful skin art on her arms and legs.

Trinity was diagnosed last summer with with malignant neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer, after what her parents thought would be a routine pediatrician appointment. She may now be facing another round of chemotherapy at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg after the family learned Friday that her tumor has grown.

In the heavy days since the diagnosis and throughout all the treatments and medical visits, moments of lightheartedness and community support such as Trinity's tattoo sessions are a welcome reprieve for the Tampa family.

"We’re constantly looking for fun things for her to do," said her mother, Skyla D’Autorio, who contacted six tattoo shops with no response before Ink Wolves responded immediately.

The tattoo artists at Ink Wolves were not only on board with the family's request, but they researched options for Trinity's temporary tattoos including washable markers and henna before they settled on special markers meant for skin that wash off after about 6 baths.

The artists drew outlines of the designs on transfer paper first and added them to Trinity's skin as she "sat still for about four hours," her mother said.

"I was expecting them to do a little heart on her shoulder and that would be it. I was thrilled when they responded and jumped right on board and were like, ‘We’re gonna do this; we’re gonna have so much fun.’ "

Skyla got the idea to treat Trinity to a tattoo session because the little girl is so enamored of her father, Lou's, ink.

"She had a blast," Skyla said, and even got involved in the process, handing the artists markers and vigilantly making sure they didn't leave the outlines unfilled.

The shop even provided the family with snacks during their special day.

Trinity is the middle of three girls. Her older sister Cierra is 5, and Anastasia is 1.

Trinity actually had two visits to Ink Wolves — first on April 10, and then a few days later when TV news crews asked to do a story about Trinity. After the Fox 13 News segment aired, the D’Autorios got messages from Ireland, Iceland and all over the world.

On Monday, producers from "Good Morning America" contacted the family.

As the D’Autorios reflect on their viral fame and the kindness of the community, they’re also grappling with new bad news.

As a small lump in their daughter's neck "grew to be a solid mass roughly the size of a baseball," Skyla and her husband became increasingly distraught and quickly sought the best medical care available to treat Trinity's inoperable tumor.

Then, the family learned Friday that Trinity's tumor has grown from 7 to 12 centimeters despite her two previous rounds of chemotherapy. The little girl this week will now have to undergo an MIBG full-body scan with radioactive iodine to identify where the cancer may have spread, as well as a bone-marrow biopsy and other tests.

To be able to afford to take her to a neuroblastoma specialist in Michigan, the family created a GoFundMe.

"Childhood cancer is more than just ports, doctors appointments and treatments … it's little girls and boys who have big goals and dreams just like everybody else," Trinity's parents wrote on their Facebook page Trinity Tough.

Skyla said of the tattoo sessions: "I love that Trinity had fun and I love that it raises awareness about childhood cancer."

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