My grandmother battled Parkinson’s disease for almost 30 years. She recently passed away and I discovered so much about her life since then. Now that it’s nearing Christmas, I feel that it’s time to really share her story:

My Nonna grew up in a small town in Sicily, Italy. Her father owned a salt shop and after second grade, he made her quit school because he needed the help. When she was young, she used to tend to the sales but eventually, she did the backbreaking work of smashing the salt into usable pieces that took its toll on her physically.

Her mother passed away when she was three and her father remarried. Her stepmother abused her regularly.

Ready to leave her unhappy home life, she married my grandfather who was a farmer. It was an arranged marriage. Though there may not have been love there at the beginning, it definitely grew into a loving marriage.

They had a little boy but at 9 months old, my grandmother fell ill and the medicine they gave her made him sick. My grandfather put him and my grandmother on a train to Palermo because he couldn’t leave the farm. I can’t even imagine the strength that must have taken.

At the hospital in Palermo, the child passed away and nuns helped sneak the child and my grandmother out of the hospital so that she could bury him. She rode the train back home holding her dead child in her arms and pretending that he was alive so no one would question her and so she could bury him.

About a year later she had a miscarriage.

After that, my grandfather and my grandmother took a boat, the SS Andrea Doria, to the United States for a new life.

They both worked several jobs and took ESL classes so that they could learn English.

They had my father, followed by two other children, my aunt and uncle. They loved their life here. My grandfather was quite the gardener and brought all of his knowledge from his farm to his garden. My grandmother was an incredible cook and her recipes are still passed down in our family.

It’s so easy to get caught up in your own life and to complain about silly little things. My grandmother endured so much so I wouldn’t have to. I’m upset I never had a chance to thank her or any of my other grandparents for working hard so that I could have a better life.

So this Christmas, I urge you to thank your parents and your grandparents for all that they have done for you.