A longed-for child, yet one diagnosed with severe brain damage even before birth. The waiting—different, difficult—the labor, and then a cascade of events: diagnoses, therapies, rehabilitation. Some moments harrowing, others unexpectedly peaceful. All of it held steady by a deep faith in Christ.
As the author herself acknowledges, countless families live through stories like this one, but each story is unique and unrepeatable. Perhaps in this account we will find insights that other narratives have not offered. One insight stands out: this mother knew how to make small and large choices for her daughter Letizia's sake—while also honoring her own needs, refusing to efface herself entirely in the face of her child's demands.
The book offers real guidance for how to approach families navigating similar struggles, and how to understand their vulnerabilities. We see this in the heavy silences that fell when she had to explain to relatives and friends what challenges lay ahead for the child she carried. And in that reflexive phrase we so often offer without thought to an expectant mother: "Boy or girl doesn't matter—as long as the baby is healthy!" Of course. But what if things turned out differently? "You'll just love her all the more," a friend tells the author.
Cristina Tersigni, 2007