Felicia Neuhof’s father used to call her “Sunshine.”

Her wrist tattoo, which includes a sun pattern drawn around a Celtic knot, represents an eternal bond between father and daughter — a bond that remains strong despite losing him to a two-year battle with lung cancer.

Neuhof, a senior communications design major, described her dad as an incredibly dedicated father. They did everything together — rode horses in her backyard, went on long bike rides, cooked, played soccer and watched football every Sunday. These are the memories that Neuhof holds close to her heart.

“I was the tomboy, like the son he never had,” Neuhof said.

Neuhof’s father was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer just before she entered high school.

One week her father was riding a bike and the next week he could barely walk, Neuhof said. Doctors put rods in his leg and hip, and he never walked the same again.

“It all of the sudden feels like you’re living in a horrible dream,” Neuhof said.

Neuhof credits her father’s spirit for many of the decisions she’s made, including her decision to attend Syracuse University. After considering southern schools such as Tulane University, George Mason University and University of Richmond, Neuhof said she picked SU on a whim.

“He always told me to go after whatever I wanted to do” Neuhof said. “He guided me here for a reason. Everything worked out perfectly. I love what I’m doing. It’s so much hard work, and it’s very rewarding. I feel like I’m on a good track.”

She got her tattoo on her father’s 51st birthday, the first birthday after he passed away. After almost losing a necklace that he gave to her as a Christmas gift before he died, she was prompted to get the tattoo — something that she would never lose.

“My tattoo reminds me to be happy and to appreciate and be so thankful for what he did for my life and for my future,” Neuhof said. “It reminds me of the person that he set me up to be and that he’s always with me.”

Published on October 21, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Gigi: gantonel@syr.edu