St. John's tattoo studio marks 10 years of raising money for cancer patients

For Dave Munro, the owner of Trouble Bound Studio in St. John's, tattooing is his "Zen place."

That's why after Munro's brother died of cancer, his work came as a welcomed distraction — and became a way of honouring his brother.

That year, Trouble Bound set aside one day to do only small cancer ribbon tattoos at $100 each, with all the money going to charity to support cancer patients.

"The idea was really more to occupy my mind. I had lost my brother in 2010 to glioblastoma and amongst the people working at the shop, we had all lost family members within a one year or two year window," Munro said.

"The idea became that on his birthday, to help others try ... and have an option toward [a future].

Ten years later, Munro says his tattoo shop has done more than 600 cancer ribbon tattoos and raised more than $64,000 for Daffodil Place, a facility that provides accommodations for cancer patients and their families visiting St. John's for treatment.

"We looked for a hands-on organization that would directly utilize our funding to help people and we stumbled across Daffodil Place," he said.

"The way that they ran the organization, you could literally see the money go straight to families and provide housing while they're going through treatment … that just sort of spoke to us."

And the event has become more than just a distraction for Munro, it's now a way for survivors to mark their victories over cancer and for families to have a permanent tribute to those lost.

"This is an emotionally intense day…. The first woman I sat down with on the very first fundraiser was getting the tattoo for her two year old she lost to leukemia and I had to step out into the hallway and cry," he said.

"I wasn't mentally prepared for what I was necessarily providing for other people because I was so centred on myself."

Wait list for tattoos

Munro said the fundraiser has grown in leaps and bounds since the first year, with about 50 tattoos booked for Saturday's event and even more on a waiting list — including people who might not otherwise get a tattoo.

"[For] a lot of people, this is their very first tattoo and if it didn't have the connection personally and where the money was going, they might not do it," he said.

"So second-guessing sometimes happens. That allows us, a lot of times, to get through the wait list."

Munro said with the number of people who have been touched by cancer and the good his studio has been able to do with the fundraiser, it will likely continue for a long time.

"With the emotions that go with it, I can't see us stopping, ever."

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