A WALLASEY mother is preparing to give herself a permanent reminder of the daily battle faced by a severely ill boy who suffers from a crippling mystery illness.

Four-year-old George Johnson has spent most of his short life travelling back and forth from Great Ormond Street, where he has undergone 75 operations for the undiagnosed condition that affects his digestive system.

The rare condition means young George struggles to eat or drink and has to be fed via a tube through his heart, with the Johnson family currently fundraising for a trip to Ohio to see a consultant who they hope will finally be able to shed some light on George’s condition.

While the family have raised more than half of the amount needed to fund the trip through their charity, Team George, close family friend Kerry Hook hopes she can boost the total even further.

The 27-year-old, who is engaged to George’s second cousin, will surrender part of her forearm to a ‘Team George’ tattoo, designed by George’s five-year-old sister, Ava.

“I have known about Team George and the family’s plight from quite early on in their journey,” said mother-of-one Kerry.

“George is such an inspiration to all of my family and his story has touched thousands of people.

“I wanted to do something that people would take notice of, I thought a tattoo would get people’s attention as it is so permanent.”

Kerry, who works for William Hill and also helps out at St George’s Primary School, where both her daughter Emily and the Johnson children attend, added: “I’ve got numerous tattoos, some for silly reasons and I can’t honestly think of a better reason than this.”

Although the design is still currently being finalised, Kerry hopes to have ‘Team George’ written in white or orange ink, on her inner forearm, and plans to have it completed at Studio 23 by the end of February.

She added: “The Johnsons were apprehensive in the beginning but I have reassured them that I am happy to be reminded of George’s bravery every time I look at my forearm.”

To sponsor Kerry, visit http://bit.ly/1dWq58k or for more information about George, search for ‘Team George’ on Facebook.