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Marie Fostino
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Short Book Description
Alzheimer's A Caretakers Journal
This is a book about the daily trials and tribulations of taking care of a loved one with Alzheimer's Disease. It's important for caretakers to know that they're not alone, that others have experienced the same frustrations.
An inspirational tale of one family's love, devotion and faith When I arrived, I approached the figure in the wheelchair. I asked him who I was but my father-in-law did not recognize me. When I tried to help him, he became angry and violent. He tried to get out of his wheelchair and away from me. He yelled, "No! You are not taking me back to Germany! You are all Nazis! You are all trying to kill me." Dad won a Bronze Star Medal for his service during WWII. It took three of us to get him outside to the car. Dad had his fists to me, a growl on his face and threatened to kick me. Then the swearing began . This is a book about the daily trials and tribulations of taking care of a loved one with Alzheimer's Disease. In this Journal I share the feelings of confusion, frustration, and blessings I experienced during my ordeal. I wrote this Journal both for myself and with the hope that it might help others deal with similar situations. It's important for caretakers to know that they're not alone, that others have experienced the same frustrations. Sometimes a caretaker feels very isolated-the world, after all, doesn't stop, despite the sense that your world is frozen in time. I'm hoping that this book will offer comfort to those who find themselves in that world. In this Journal I record the little things I did, daily, to preserve my sanity and provide my father-in-law with as nearly a normal life as possible. It is a tale of thoughts, stories, anecdotes, as well as feelings of helplessness, guilt, happiness, and sorrow. If you feel as though you can and want to see your loved one through this awful disease, then this book will offer a helping hand. The Journal will also be of value to anyone who wants some idea of what to expect from a person suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Finally, please remember that Alzheimer's affects different people in many different ways. This is my account of living with Alzheimer's. This publication includes testimonials from Maria's husband (Joe's son) and two of his grandchildren who shared Maria's home-care duties. Also features numerous photographs of family events, both in years past as well as during Joe's illness. This is a very touching, human story about families and how they deal with crises, emerging stronger and closer as a result of their misfortune. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marie Fostino, married now for 33 years, is a mother of five and a grandmother of four. She believes that life is full of many challenges and lessons to be learned. She's held a variety of jobs over the years: fast foods employee, beautician, professional photographer, nursing home aide and paramedic. She's dealt with all kinds of people, young and old, but nothing prepared her for the loss of a loved one to Alzheimer's. Marie enjoys spending time with her family.
THE SILVER LOCKET BY MARIE FOSTINO
When Jennifer finds her daughter is not home from school yet, her past flashed before her eyes with the memories of Jacy, love, death and becoming a mother at the age of sixteen. People would stop Jenny and ask if the child she was with was her sister. "No this is my child." Yet the looks she got hurt her. She was 16 years old when her life changed forever. Despite being raised in a Christian home with strict religious values, some of her choices were careless, and they came with weighty consequences. A strange combination of sadness and joy overcome her when she turns back the clock. Names and faces float through her mind like ghosts that still haunted her but as always, a smile forms on her face and she remembers only love.
A STRUGGLE OF THE HEART BY MARIE FOSTINO
A young woman faces the age-old dilemma: what to do when you are torn between two lovers? Annette, a beautician in Norman, Oklahoma, does not believe she’ll ever find love, let alone two men who fall head over heels for her. Aaron, a handsome and virile Native American with long dark hair and sensuous brown eyes, draws her to him like a magnet. Tim, a good-looking, happy-go-lucky fellow, is always there to help, care for and comfort her. With Aaron, it is love at first site, while Tim grows on her over time. How will she ever decide? It seems at first that fate might make the decision for her when Aaron joins the army and is stationed overseas. While he is gone, Tim fills the huge void left in her aching heart. At the same time, Annette knows she must follow her own dream. After the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, she yearns to find a more fulfilling job helping others. This leads her to begin emergency medical training and after that, to attend paramedic school. Upon graduation, Tim asks for Annette’s hand in marriage but what about Aaron, who just returned home from Afghanistan? It is truly “A Struggle of the Heart” as Annette finds herself torn between two lovers.
non-fiction, health, inspirational, young adult, romance
non-fiction
About Me
Marie (Losacco) Fostino born August 12, 1954 in Hindsdale, Ill. Grew up in Burbank, Ill and in Oak Lawn, Ill. Married to Jim Fostino, has five children and at this moment in time seven grandchildren. When finishing high school she became a beautician. Living in Oklahoma at the time, it was the bombing in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, that led Marie to a different path in life, and she went to school to become a paramedic. When it came to pass that Joe Fostino was confused both Jim and Marie quit their jobs and moved into his home to take care of him. They learned a lot about Alzheimer's Disease as they took care of Joe at home until his battle with Alzheimer's led to his death June 13, 2004.This gave Marie the bug to start writing about other events in her life but changed them to be fiction and more interesting. She is now writing YA romance novels. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as she enjoys writing them. Check out her website on www.mariefostino.com & http://mariefostino.weebly.com/ and her blog www.mariefostino.blogspot.com // also check out her youtube video // http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-dWlsgM9LA&layer_token=3c1917039222373
Testimonials
This book doesn't hold back. It lets you know a real women's struggle while taking care of a loved one with Alzheimer's. This is a TRUE JOURNAL. This book proves it's OK to be human, we all make mistakes. It informs you of the difficulties and struggles that lie ahead. Again, this book doesn't hold back. It shows how one family overcame an unfortunate situation and fought to take care of their loved one. It builds one's spirit up and shows them it can be done. By Jessic Walman Dec 10, 2007
This is one of those rare family caregiver books written in real time. Unlike many caregiving books written as recollections of caregiving experiences from years ago, Fostino's book is fresh, compelling, vivid, and poignant. It accomplishes its aim in helping the caregiver know what to expect. What a gift! Joe Fostino had a saint for a daughter-in-law! How else can one describe the heroic deeds simply told? The highs, the lows; the joys, the tears; the frustrations, even the anger; and the commitment--yes, the unwavering commitment of a loving mother of five who devotedly cared for her father-in-law in a manner unparalled during the past decade.
Alzheimer's: A Caretaker's Journal begins with a brief history of war hero Joe Fostino and features letters from Joe's son (the author's husband) and two of her five children. Fostino then opens her private journal for the benefit of caregivers, family members, and all who want to learn more about caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease.
You will be warmly touched and heavenly inspired by the story of St. Marie Fostino, who juggled long work hours while lovingly tending to her father-in-law's day-to-day needs for two years until his final breath.
Reviewed at TheCaregiversVoice.com/blog on April 9, 2008 Brenda Avadian
As the title implies, Alzheimer's A Caretaker's Journal, is about dealing with a family member who has Alzheimer's. The book truly is a caretakers journal. There is little commentary from the author to cloud our opinion. Instead, we get to see into the personal lives of Jim and Marie as they take on the daunting task of caring for Jim's father, Joe. As Joe's dementia worsens, Marie rises to the call of a saint. The passion of the author was noted throughout the book and my emotions were stirred as I read Marie's account of her time spent with Dad--a man who didn't even know her once he had progressed into the advanced stages of Alzheimer's. "Lady" is what he called his own daughter-in-law.
"Show, not tell" is what I often repeat to my authors when I am editing their books. Marie instinctively did this in Alzheimer's A Caretaker's Journal. She shows us who she is, what she is capable of, and how she managed day by day. Never once did she brag on herself. Using a chronological diary format, she showed us her human frailty and gave us a true picture of what it is like to watch a loved one's mental and physical demise. I was especially touched to see how this disease affected the entire family with the shared thoughts. I hope I never have to go through something like this, but if I do, I pray I have the strength and wherewithal to endure and persevere the way Marie did.
Yvonne Perry Author of More Than Meets The Eye True Stories About Death, Dying, and Afterlife July 28,2009
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