You’ve seen the videos. You’ve read the headlines. Over 100 million people have shared Angelica Radevski’s story their way. Now it’s time to hear directly from her.
Angelica Radevski, a 35-year-old nurse, mother, and widow from Wheeling, West Virginia, went viral after making the decision to preserve one of her late husband’s tattoos — a Pittsburgh Steelers helmet — to honor his wishes and keep his memory alive.
Since then, the world has debated her decision. Some have shown compassion, others have mocked or judged. Through it all, Angelica has remained committed to one message: grief is deeply personal, and every family deserves the right to honor their loved one with dignity and respect.
Angelica has spoken in interviews before, but Monday morning will be her first live radio conversation.
She says her husband, T.J. was a big Steelers fan and always had sports on the television or on the radio.
While he passed unexpectedly, Angelica tells KDKA Radio they talked about what they would do if the other one passed.
“When my husband passed away, I knew this was something I was going to do, because we talked about it,” Radevski said in a TikTok video.
She knew of a company called “Save My Ink Forever” which preserves tattoos for people that have lost a loved one and want to remember them.
Radevski says at the funeral home she didn’t ask, she told the director what she wanted to do, and saving the tattoo became part of the process.
“The mortician and I, she and I stood there and I got to outline the exact tattoo I wanted,” said Radevski. “My husband, having over 70 tattoos, I wanted the surrounding tattoos in it as well.”
Save My Ink Forever does the communication with the funeral home. The tissue is then removed by the mortician and sent to the company.
After about 90 days, Radevski received the framed tattoo.
To have one of her husband’s tattoos preserved was something that she needed, to take another step toward healing.
“It was indescribable as to what they felt, it wasn’t just one feeling, it wasn’t just an emotion, it was physical,” said Radevski. “It filled a void that was so big.”
Her husband’s remains were cremated and when she received them, instead of healing, it made things worse.
“The thing that I thought was going to help did the complete opposite.”
Some comments on social media have been negative, saying keeping the tattoo of a deceased person is bizarre, wrong or weird.
But Radevski says everyone goes through grief differently and heal in different way.
“As a nurse, I’ve spent years trying to share awareness about consent, autonomy, grief (labor and delivery working as the head of the bereavement dept) if preserving my late husband’s tattoo is the way to get this information out, then so be it,” says Radevski.
Angelica had known T.J. nearly her entire life. They had a son together 10 years ago and got married in 2021.
Now, her husband’s memory will live on forever through preservation of a Steelers tattoo.