After his daughter started asking more questions about the scar on her chest from open-heart surgery, Matt Backe found a way to show her that she wasn’t alone.

Everly “Evie” Backe, 4, was born with a rare congenital heart defect, and before her first birthday, underwent three open-heart surgeries. Her parents, Matt and Lauren, refer to the scar on her chest as a zipper, because it will be opened and closed again during future heart surgeries. Matt told Good Morning America that when Evie began questioning him about her scar, “My thought was if I could get something that was a replica of it, we could be zipper buddies and she would not have that feeling of being alone.”

In January, the Crystal Lake, Illinois, showed a tattoo artist a photo of Evie, and had the scar recreated on his chest. His new ink inspired his wife, who got a tattoo of her children’s first initials and EKG lines showing a heart rate. They posted photos of their tattoos on social media, and heard from several friends and relatives who said they felt self-conscious about their own scars as kids, and loved the support being shown for Evie.

Evie is also a fan of her dad’s tattoo, telling GMA, “He didn’t want me to be alone. He wanted to be special like me.”