Serafina Sammarco Releases ISABELLA'S JOURNEY

RICHMOND, British Columbia

Serafina Sammarco memorializes her daughter, Isabella, in her new book, "Isabella's Journey: Her battle with the blood disorder, Thalassemia Major." (published by Balboa Press) , wherein she relates her family's struggle against the deep emotional challenges presented by Isabella's illness and describes the disease for readers. Isabella was born October 7, 1971 and lived until July 29, 1986.

An inspiring and heartfelt story, "Isabella's Journey" depicts a young family faced with the unimaginable task of accepting their daughter's death sentence when she is diagnosed with Thalassemia Major at the tender age of 8 months. This enlightening book introduces readers to the young Sammarco family as they handle the physical, emotional and financial complications of Isabella's disease, doing their best to live happy, productive lives, up to and beyond Isabella's passing at just 14 years old.

An excerpt from "Isabella's Journey":

"From that day forward, until Isabella died, I made it a point each and every single night, before I went to bed, to peek in her bedroom and listen to her to see if she was asleep and breathing. On occasion I could hear her snore, and with a smile on my face I'd thank God she was alive for one more day."

Sammarco uses layman's terms to describe Thalassemia and Thalassemia Major to aid the reader in understanding Isabella's circumstances, but also to make them aware of their own chances of being affected by this genetic blood disorder.

"It was over 40 years ago that I first learned of Thalassemia," Sammarco writes, "and yet so many years later it is still virtually unknown by most."

"Isabella's Journey"
By Serafina Sammarco
Hardcover | 5.5 x 8.5 in | 120 pages | ISBN 9781452586151
Softcover | 5.5 x 8.5 in | 120 pages | ISBN 9781452586175
E-Book | 120 pages | ISBN 9781452586168
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author
Serafina Sammarco was born in Calabria, Italy, and immigrated to Canada at age 12, the eighth of nine children. Married for 46 years to Pasquale Sammarco, and the mother of two children, she held a career in the insurance industry for 20 years as an accredited general insurance broker. She is the founder and president of the Vancouver Thalassemia Society of British Columbia, the past president of a woman's lodge in the Italian community and a volunteer in the Vancouver community.

Balboa Press, a division of Hay House, Inc. - a leading provider in publishing products that specialize in self-help and the mind, body, and spirit genres. Through an alliance with indie book publishing leader Author Solutions, LLC, authors benefit from the leadership of Hay House Publishing and the speed-to-market advantages of the self-publishing model. For more information, visit balboapress.com. To start publishing your book with Balboa Press, call 877-407-4847 today. For the latest, follow @balboapress on Twitter.

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