A woman has gone viral online after revealing that she preserved her husband's tattoo after he died.
Angelica Radevski, a 35-year-old nurse from Wheeling, West Virginia, sparked intense conversation after taking to TikTok to detail how she'd preserved the ink – having been inspired as a youngster by a visit to Ripley’s Believe It or Not!.
Her husband, who died unexpectedly earlier this year at the age of 55, carried his life story on his skin. Covered in tattoos “from his neck all the way down to his feet,” each design held a personal meaning. “Every tattoo that he had was a piece of his life,” she explained, via PEOPLE. “It was like therapy. It was his healing.”
That connection made it feel natural for Radevski to preserve one of his tattoos as a tangible reminder of him.
She turned to Save My Ink Forever, an Ohio-based company that specializes in preserving tattoos after death. The idea had stuck with her since childhood, when she first learned about the company through Ripley’s Believe It or Not!.
While married, she had even mentioned the idea to her husband, who supported it and thought it was “really cool.”
After his funeral, Radevski outlined the tattoo she wanted saved: a Pittsburgh Steelers helmet on his right arm. It was his first sleeve, and a favorite that their 10-year-old son Preston also remembered fondly.
Before her husband’s body was cremated, morticians carefully removed the skin, sealed it in a preservation kit, and sent it to the company.
Ninety days later, the framed tattoo was ready. “When they handed it to us, I was shocked,” Radevski recalled. “And it was a good shock, so many things you didn’t know you were missing instantly felt better.”
The tattoo, framed in dark wood and glass, even revealed the small details of his skin. Preston noticed that some hair was still visible, along with spots where his father had missed shaving. “It took it to a different level,” she laughed softly. “It was like, ‘OK, he’s really home.’”
Radevski has shared her grief journey on TikTok, using her platform to connect with others who feel alone in loss.
She also stresses the importance of preparation, explaining that her husband’s lack of life insurance left the family struggling financially. “We plan weddings for a year,” she said, “but we avoid planning for death. We need to normalize it so people are prepared, financially and emotionally.”
Her videos about preserving her husband’s tattoo have gone viral, viewed nearly 30 million times.
While some comments were critical (comparing the process to “mutilation”) the outpouring of love outweighed the negativity. Many people reached out to say they wished they had known about the option after losing a loved one.
Though framing a tattoo isn’t for everyone, Radevski hopes her openness helps others find peace.
“We feel him here a lot, spiritually and energetically,” she said. “But this is that piece we really needed. When we want to know he’s here, we can hold the frame, and it does so much more than a picture.”