As I’ve done for several years, I went to the Long Beach Arts & Crafts Festival last weekend, an event held two weekends each summer on the boardwalk in Long Beach, NY.  There were the usual vendors and food stands, and the appeal of the nearby ocean.  But this time I had an experience that I didn’t expect, meeting J.S. Russo who displayed In Sickness and In Health: A Memoir of Love, a book he wrote about living with his late wife Sue and her fight against cancer.  After Sue’s death, he created the Susan Satriano Foundation to help high school students attend college who have a parent who has died from cancer, or is currently fighting the disease.  The foundation is funded from Sue’s life insurance policy, as well as donations from friends, family and local businesses.

Joe says his book is not about sadness but about hope – hope that confirms it’s a wonderful life when you focus on what is good.  While he kept insisting that he’s ‘only a teacher,’ Joe not only created a touching memoir to his wife (and is currently writing a sequel) but also formed a foundation which helps others dealing with cancer.  What better way is there to commemorate a loved one’s life than to do such good work in her name?

Of course I bought the book and told Joe I would help spread the word about his cause, which is also being funded by many events taking place in and around Long Island, NY.  This certainly wasn’t something I expected to find at an arts and crafts fair, but somehow it was the only ‘exhibitor’ that I will long remember.