Winnipeg tattoo removal expert’s riveting story now in ink forever

It’s a story of rebirth and healing and now it’s in ink forever.

A well-known tattoo-removal expert in Winnipeg, who has removed hundreds of tattoos from gang members in and out of jail, has released a book about her life. 

“It was part of the healing journey,” said Della Steinke, who penned the new work with the help of author Kevin Zdrill.

Called, Mothering to Mother Ink, Steinke says the story details her life from childhood to tattoo removal expert, and she hopes it helps others.

“I was put into foster care. I was raised  by somebody who was very open that she didn’t want me, she didn’t want to adopt me, so basically, I felt like I never belonged anywhere.” 

The book, as detailed in its profile on FriesenPress, documents her escape from abuse at the hands of her mother as a child, her early experiences as a single mother, and her path to sobriety. 

It’s a life set against the backdrop of helping gang members get a new start through the removal of tattoos, which she does now in her own shop, Mother Ink, and at three provincial correctional institutions in Manitoba, saying the book is for anyone who has ever felt alone.

“We’re all looking – especially my clients – we’re all looking for a place to belong,” she said. 

“A lot of times, with most of my clients who have been in gangs, that’s what they’re looking for. They’re not setting out at four-years-old and saying: ‘What do you want to do when you’re older? Oh, I want to be in a gang.’” 

She says it’s the desire to belong that often forces people into gangs and other criminal organizations, and while she was hesitant to tell her story at first, the book is resonating with people, now one of FriesenPress’ best sellers. 

“Everybody thinks: ‘Who is going to want to read a story about my life? “I don’t think it’s that exciting, but then I realized, talking more-so with my clients, and a lot of my clients in prison, and they said: ‘Well, I’d love to read that,'” she said.

“So, I mean if that book can help somebody, to be able to read this and resonate with them, to get sober, or helps them in any way, shape or form, then I did what I set out to do.”