Liz Coccio, who got her first tattoo at age 60, now has two tattoos on her left arm to honor her daughter Elena, who passed away from ALS on March 1 at the age of 27.
Coccio is organizing the Tattoo Flash Fundraiser to raise money for Her ALS Story, a support group that helped Elena after her diagnosis. The event will take place on June 9 from noon to 7 p.m. at Sola Salon, located at 650 Bald Hill Road.
This is the first major fundraiser Coccio has held since Elena’s passing. She chose a tattoo-themed event because of its special meaning to her daughter.
“We had a big party at our house where Elena’s friend came and did around 12 tattoos. She came back another time to do more,” Coccio said. “Since the girls in Her ALS Story liked tattoos, we decided to do a fundraiser.”
Alex Quinn, Elena’s friend and tattoo artist, will be one of the artists working at the fundraiser.
Originally, the event was to be held at Salon 102 in West Greenwich. However, a fire forced the venue to cancel events. Sola Salon became the alternative, though it is smaller.
“We’ll be in three separate little studios, but we’ll make it work,” Coccio said.
Each tattoo available holds special significance to Elena, such as a tomato, her favorite food, and the cover of Frank Ocean’s album “Blonde,” her favorite album. A swallow tattoo, symbolizing solidarity and hope for those living with ALS, will also be available.
“Pretty much everybody that I know ended up getting one,” Coccio said.
Her ALS Story, founded in April 2021 by Leah Stavenhagen, who was diagnosed with ALS at 27, creates a community for women diagnosed with ALS under the age of 35. The group has over 100 members across four continents. Liz and Elena joined shortly after Elena’s diagnosis.
“They were really supportive for Elena,” Coccio said. “They had a WhatsApp group with daily messages offering support and advice.”
Since Her ALS Story is entirely run by women with ALS, their resources are limited. Each year, the group holds a retreat, which will be on Cape Cod for the second year. Most of the funds raised will go towards this retreat, which is expected to have more attendees than last year’s 34.
“There are people coming from all over the world,” Coccio said. “We help with finances for travel and accommodation.”
Coccio hopes to raise over $2,000 from the event and expects strong support from friends.
“There’s been such a good response,” Coccio said. “It should be awesome.”
Tattoos will be priced at $100 each, with a discounted rate of $160 for two tattoos. A raffle with 20 prizes will also be held.