About the Book
The loss of a child is against nature, and it turns one's world upside down. One becomes changed and involuntarily embarks on an arduous journey, totally unprepared. Nonetheless, there are moments that sustain and comfort, and eventually there are even degrees of happiness, due to the people who are left in this world with us. I have learned that the greatest consolation comes from the simplest of stimuli - a kind gesture, a smile, a hug, but mostly, hearing the name of one's child from the lips of another. If you choose to accompany me on my journey, know that the road will be hard, but that there will be inspiring moments and a renewal of hope. It is in the names of our children that we continue to survive. Then one day, instead of merely "surviving", we begin to "live" again, not as before, but as the new persons we have become. Following the sudden loss of our son Troy in an accident, what helped me the most was my writing. I needed to tell Troy so many things - how much we, his family, love him and miss him, how we are trying to continue on in this world without him, and how we need him to help us on this journey. After fourteen years of writing, I realized even more how very important his family and friends were to Troy, and he, to them. In retrospect, this book has become, in essence, a tribute to Troy, to his family, and to his friends. It may also help others who suffer losses of those they love, and Troy would want to help them. Consequently, today, thanks to the understanding, encouragement, and collaboration of our family and friends in preparing our book for publication, I Need to Tell You awaits you. We hope that it leads to a better understanding of how individuals, faced with the loss of a loved one, try to cope and to move forward with their lives as their loved one would want them to do.
About the Author: Theresa Alfano Vance, who grew up in South Orange, New Jersey, was always fascinated by foreign language and culture. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Modern Languages from Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York, a Degré Supérieur in French Civilization from The Sorbonne, University of Paris, France, and a Masters Degree in French and Education from Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. The author taught French, Spanish, and English as a Foreign Language at West Orange High School in New Jersey, at Stroudsburg High School in Pennsylvania, and at Notre Dame, Loyola, and Towson Universities, Loyola Blakefield, The English Institute, and various Adult Education Programs in Baltimore, Maryland. She instituted an English Program for Hispanics at Saint Joseph's Church in Texas, Maryland. Presently she resides with her husband in the Baltimore area where she does translating, interpreting, writing, and some teaching. She and her husband enjoy traveling - one of their most frequent destinations being Seattle, Washington, where their son and daughter-in-law reside.
