Melrose Author Hopes To Help Others Deal With Grief By Sharing Her Personal Story

MELROSE, MA — A resident is hoping to connect with and inspire readers through her book that documents her challenging childhood.

Gina Preziosa is the author of the recently published “My Parents Died and It Sucks,” which explores how to cope with high levels of grief. Preziosa lost both of her parents before she was old enough to drive.

“My father died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 38, when I was 10 years old. My mother died from breast cancer at the age of 41, when I was 15 years old,” Preziosa told Patch. “Being orphaned by age 15 was the beginning of my lifelong struggle with grief and loss.”

The Manchester-by-the-sea native wrote her work during the summer of 2023, but said she knew she wanted to become an author for about a decade prior. She had other book ideas in the works however realized the greatest and most impactful story she could tell was her own. She said the catalyst for this realization was seeing Boston Red Sox legend Tim Wakefield’s children at Fenway Park shortly after they lost both of their parents in a very short timespan.

“The biggest takeaway that I would like readers to have is that they are not alone in their early parental loss, and there are simple, small tools you can try to feel better each day and better cope with grief from immense loss,” Preziosa told Patch. “Small shifts in thinking can increase life's daily joys and minimize the intensity of grief.”

Preziosa’s book is available online and has been placed in some local schools since its release. She said the feedback and support has been overwhelmingly positive thus far.

“I think even those who have not lost a parent, felt moved by the work,” Preziosa said. “Grief touches all of us in one way or another throughout our lives.”

Preziosa bought her first Melrose home in 2001, shortly after giving birth to her first son with her husband, John. Prior to that, they had been living in an apartment by the Lincoln School on West Wyoming Avenue.

“Melrose was totally new to me, but felt familiar to the small town I grew up in,” Preziosa told Patch. “We have raised two boys here that are both Melrose High graduates.”

See Also:

Melrose Hires From Within For Its Next School District Leader

Melrose Voting Advocacy Group In Danger Of Shutting Down