LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. (KERO) — Stephen Pearman shares his tattoo story in order to raise money toward the fight against childhood cancer.
- Tattoos can be a form of expression or a reminder of a fun memory.
- For one Lake Isabella resident, it’s a way of painting a new narrative– one that he hopes will change lives.
- Voting for semi finalists closes on June 26, 2025 at 7 p.m.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Stephen Pearman was recovering from shoulder surgery, scrolling through social media, when he came across “Tell Your Story in Ink”– a competition hosted by Inked Originals where ink collectors share the story behind their tattoos.
With the community’s votes, one winner will receive a tattoo session from Bang Bang, a famous tattoo artist, be featured in Inked Magazine, and take home $25,000.
“I’ve been collecting since I was like 15 years old. And I have a lot of garbage, a lot of just bad tattoos, ugly tattoos, things unfinished and… I had a change of life, I got things together. I got a good job, and with a good job, I had a little bit of money to be able to afford to start covering up a lot of this garbage,” said Pearman.
About four years ago, Pearman says he found the right artist when he met Amber Joy-Page with Amber Joy's Ink Therapy in Ridgecrest, who turned his past ink into art.
“I’ve watched him go through surgeries, different jobs, ups and downs with his sobriety, and all that stuff. So he’s come a long way with all this tattoo work,” said Joy-Page.
Pearman describes his new tattoos: “I have one arm of Christianity and one arm is fully demonic. I have maggots and chained angels and the devil, Chupacabras, skulls, demons holding demons… because there’s good and there’s evil in everybody. So it’s just my duality.”
Entering the competition, Pearman says it’s not actually about sharing his story, but about raising money towards the B Positive Foundation, a non-profit that supports families of children with cancer– a purpose that hits close to home.
“I have a family member that has been in remission for quite a while now,” said Pearman. “But he has severe down syndrome and had leukemia and with the grom in his chest and everything, spent months upon months at Cedar Sinai and Ronald McDonald House, so on and so forth. He was given his wish. But then he kicked into remission and he’s been in remission since. He’s 26 years old.”
Not only will the paid votes go towards the B Positive Foundation, but Pearman says if he wins the $25,000, he’ll donate a large chunk of that to the cancer foundation.
Pearman said, “It seems like my one chance to be able to help and I hope I can rally enough support for that help.”
Voting for semi finalists closes on June 26, 2025 at 7 p.m.
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