In a growing trend among people in the Down syndrome community, friends, family members, and loved ones of people with Down syndrome are getting a tattoo with three arrows.

The three arrows represent the third copy of the 21st chromosome that people with Down syndrome have.

For World Down Syndrome Day on March 21, 2018, an awareness day for the genetic disorder, Jackson Horn’s family got inked.

“He’s 7 years old right now, still is very nonverbal,” his dad, Brian Ainsley Horn, explained some of Jackson’s learning delays.

“I knew Jackson was going to be fine, but it was heartbreaking to see your adult child in tears,” grandmother, Shary Horn, said.

Brian was the one crying at his son Jackson’s birth, because Down syndrome was not what he planned for.

“It was going to be nothing like what I originally thought of when I dreamed of having a son,” Horn said.

But just like the tattoo, the sting lessened in time and Brian beams with pride when talking about how far Jackson has come since his infancy in the NICU to being voted class president of his kindergarten class.

The tattoo represents what every loved one of someone with Down syndrome understands. “The arrowheads symbolize that before you can launch forward you have to be pulled back,” Brian Horn said. “You know that was the whole experience with down syndrome. It is extremely hard at first, but after you get past that point it’s an amazing journey.”

The Horn family went to Flying Squid in Houston for their tattoo.

Ben Perez with the Flying Squid said, “I was honored to participate in spreading D.S. awareness! Jackson is a GREAT KID!! If anyone is interested in a D.S. awareness tattoo let me know! This is A GREAT CAUSE!”

Search the hashtag “the lucky few tattoo” on social media to see people around the world jumping on this trend.