Alexis Bellino Honors Her Late Mother with a New Tattoo (PHOTOS)
The RHOC alum unveiled the tribute piece more than two months after her family's tragic loss.
Alexis Bellino is honoring her mom in a permanent way.
In early August, The Real Housewives of Orange County alum took to Instagram to announce and mourn the loss of her mother, Penelope. Although she didn’t provide details on the cause of death, Alexis indicated her mom had spent years battling an undiagnosed brain disease that severely limited her everyday activities.
“Momma, you are finally free. You can walk again, cook, dance, hold a glass, talk, hug, laugh…you are out of that horrible body that kept you prisoner for the past three years,” Alexis wrote in an August 2 Instagram. “You put up the strongest fight I’ve ever seen. My promise to you is that I will make sure the UCLA brain donor program finds out what robbed you of your beautiful life at such a young age, and we will help others so that your torture was not in vain."
She continued: "You are forever my favorite person and my best friend. In your words, ‘death is simply another form of living.’ I’ll see you again, and you better show me signs from the other side. I love you to the moon and back, momma.”
Alexis Bellino on her memorial tattoo: "Now mom is always with me"
On Saturday, October 7, the mother of three took to Instagram to unveil a tribute tattoo she got for Penelope.
“Now mom is always with me and always near my heart,” she captioned the post, which highlighted a ribcage tattoo that read, “Dying is a different way to live."
Alexis shared a video of her lying on a tattoo bed while artist Dillon Giarraffa completed the piece. The former OC ’Wife was clearly uncomfortable during the process, as she winced a few times while taking deep breaths.
“It’s all for momma,” she said with her eyes closed.
Dillon, the owner of Dying Breed Studios, also shared a photo of him posing next to Alexis during their appointment.
“Had the pleasure of working with an amazing person:),” he captioned the Instagram Story. “Thanks for letting me be apart of your journey !”
Alexis Bellino explains the inspiration behind her tattoo
Alexis later explained that the tattoo was a quote from her mother's old journal, which she and her brother read out loud during Penelope's final days.
"On July 25th, 7 days before my mom took her last breath my brother and Fred and I were living in her hospital room for her last two weeks and reading her journals to each other," she wrote in another October 7 post. "We stumbled upon this journal entry from 2007 which highlights her views on death. I immediately got chills and knew in that moment that I was putting that last sentence on my rib. I wanted to share this because there’s so much more to the story than me just getting a tattoo; this is truly so special. I get to have this memory and special tattoo for the rest of my life."
Alexis Bellino calls off her engagement
Shortly after her mother’s death, Alexis announced she and her fiancé Andy “Drew” Bohn had called it quits. Alexis kept details to a minimum, but suggested the relationship ended on good terms: “We kindly ask for your thoughts and prayers for both of our families as we navigate through this breakup, especially considering the recent [loss] of my mother,” she wrote.
Since then, Alexis has been spending more more time with her ex-husband, Jim Bellino, with whom she shares three children. On September 30, the OC mom showed support for her ex by sharing a promotional post for his newly launched business.
“We may have pumped the brakes on our marriage, but family is forever,” she captioned the post. “I am so proud that we’re at a place on our co-parenting journey where we can work together to put the needs of our children first, every day. Congratulations to my entrepreneurial ex [Jim Bellino] on the launch of his newest business."
