Lemont Author Shares 'Journey Through Grief' With New Book

LEMONT, IL — After the death of her father when she was 18, Lemont resident Becky Cortesi-Caruso knew that someday she wanted to write a book about the personal process of grief.

Now, 32 years later, Cortesi-Caruso has written "For One More Wish: A Journey Through Grief," which shares not only her story, but several others' stories of grief.

Published by Joshua Tree Publishing, Cortesi-Caruso said,"the premise of the book is if you were to have one more wish, what would it be? The people I interviewed said that they would like to go back in time and spend one more day with a loved one who died."

Cortesi-Caruso said she emailed people she knew and asked if they wanted to share their story. Each person was asked a variety of questions, and Cortesi-Caruso edited each chapter and shared it back with each participant.

This is the third book for Cortesi-Caruso, who has previously written two children's books.

"It has been a lifelong dream for me to write a grief book," she told Patch.

"Going through the grieving process is a lonely and isolating feeling. I was 18 when my father suddenly died and my entire life crashed before me, my typical family upbringing had utterly been swept out beneath my feet," Cortesi-Caruso said.

While studying at the University of Illinois in Urbana, she wrote her thesis on death and dying, she told Patch.

"I spent countless hours trying to intellectualize my grief instead of feeling my raw emotions. My hope while writing this book was to allow people to understand that we all go through the grieving process and to understand that it is unavoidable," Cortesi-Caruso said. "However, it is important to understand the stages of grief and how our brain impacts our overall emotional state of mind. I was never taught any of this, so if I could use my clinical background and experiences to normalize the reader, then I believe my work had just begun."

Since the book is about such a heavy topic, when asked if this made it easier or harder to write, Cortesi-Caruso said it "was an absolute emotional roller coaster."

"There were times throughout the years I spent writing this book that I would re-live memories that I had buried 33 years ago," she said. "I believe my personal story allowed me to be relatable to the reader."

With a master's degree in school social work, Cortesi-Caruso said she used her clinical background "to assist the reader to understand the psychosomatic feelings that we have while transcending through the grieving process. However, I also talk about the clinical approaches to helping oneself while grieving."

"Although, there were times that the book was emotional to write, it was also cathartic. My goal at the end of the book was to give people hope and to help them understand that even though their loved one has died, they can still be celebrated in life," she said.

The book is available on Amazon.