Permanent Ink Marks Colton Relay for Life

When Loma Linda resident Gary Travis found out that his wife Linda had joined a Relay for Life team in Colton, he wanted to make sure he could show his continuing support in her battle against cancer. Gary had been there when a mass was found in Linda’s breast in December of 2013, and they had waited together until April of 2014 to hear the confirmed diagnosis from a biopsy that she had breast cancer. With her single mastectomy on May 23, 2014 and four subsequent treatments of chemo, he had been at her side the whole time with the doctor’s appointments, home care, and encouragement. At one point in her journey with cancer, Gary, known as a lover of all things Disney, had a Mickey Mouse silhouette with a pink cancer ribbon placed on his left foot. Linda had lost her left breast, so the tattoo symbolized the journey she was taking and that he was walking it with her. So when she mentioned joining the team and working to help raise funds for The American Cancer Society, Gary decided to incorporate his love of tattoos with his love for Linda. He called his tattoo artist, Isaac Espinoza of Shallow Grave Social Club in Moreno Valley, and asked him if he would donate something for the Relay for Life raffle. At first, it may seem like an odd request, but Gary explained, “We are a society that memorializes everything, whether positive or negative in various forms. Now a days, it’s very popular to get tattoos commemorating the loss of a loved one, or to celebrate their life’s experience, so I decided to ask.” And Espinoza answered the request with a resounding yes. “The minute Gary asked me,” Espinoza said, “I was ready to go with it! My mother (Olga Espinoza of Riverside) had just lost her very close friend, Helen Valenti, to lung cancer. We’re all affected by that disease and I want to help get rid of it, too.” He agreed to donate a $100 gift certificate for the raffle, and later spoke to his staff about the donation. Not to his surprise, each of his tattoo artists wanted to donate, too, but after talking amongst themselves, they all decided to offer two $100 gift certificates each, and their piercing technician is donating 3 certificates of $30 each. “Everyone wanted to get behind this effort, and basically decided that the more we gave, the more money it could generate for The American Cancer Society, so we’re all looking forward to being a part of it.” Espinoza has been a tattoo artist for about seven years, having had worked in a shop in Riverside prior to opening his own shop in October of 2014 in Moreno Valley. The donation to the Colton Relay for Life was the first community service outreach on the part of his Shallow Grave Social Club employee family although he was involved in many community service projects prior to this as an individual and businessman. “I want to make this donation from my shop in honor of my mother’s friend Helen,” said Espinoza, “it’s a very simple way that we can honor her memory and show she’s not forgotten.” If you would like to buy a ticket to help support The American Cancer Society and get a chance at one of the eight $100 tattoo gift certificates, you can contact The Shallow Grave Social Club at 24715 Sunnymead Boulevard in Moreno Valley at 951-200-2656 or at Instagram@Shallow.Grave.Tattoo. You can also contact The Colton Relay for Life Team The Anti-Cancer League at relayforlifeteamtacl@gmail.com for tickets also. Drawing will be held on May 16, 2015 for four of the tattoos, at the Colton Relay for Life at the Colton High School Football Stadium at 777 West Valley Blvd in Colton and another drawing will be held on Saturday June 6, 2015 for the other four tattoos. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.