FOR MY FRIENDS (published in The Paris Post Intelligencer, Paris, TN)
I recommend Bella the Great for children, adults alike
By SUMMER CROCKETT MOORE
Published: Friday, March 5, 2010 1:11 PM CST
Dear Post-Intelligencer readers,
I am writing today in hopes of helping two of my dearest friends as they find themselves in the fight of their lives.
Their story can only be described as truly American in the best and worst sense of the word.
It deals with a family struggling with foreclosure, a myriad of medical issues, lack of insurance and a plan of attack that is so crazy, it just can’t not work.
With nothing left to lose, this is the story of a young family who took their inspiration for a new life from a little girl named Bella.
The story starts in New Jersey with Gina and Derek Roche, two of my closest friends from college. They were married after graduation and began careers on the West Coast.
After a few years, they moved back to New Jersey, in order to be closer to Gina’s family, and to begin a family of their own.
Everything was on track, Gina and Derek both were able to find jobs they enjoyed, they found a home near their family and had the first of two beautiful and healthy daughters, Bella, and then three years later, Gia.
Even though there was an ongoing medical issue with Derek’s mother, who has late-stage hepatitis, both Gina and Derek felt blessed by life. Then, things began to change.
Dramatic cutbacks in their field of work led to them having to look for new jobs. Both of them went to work for Gina’s father at his auto parts store, which had been a success for more than 25 years.
Although they both had taken pay cuts, they were able to make ends meet — that is, until medical disaster struck for a second time.
Derek’s younger brother was diagnosed with brain cancer, and Derek flew to California to be by his side during brain surgery and to help care for his already ailing mother.
Increased medical bills put a strain on the already tight family budget, but somehow they made it work.
Then, another brutal blow came shortly thereafter. Gina’s brother, who owned and operated an award-winning martial arts school in New Jersey — which supported his wife, her father and his own five children — had a freak fall and broke his neck.
As a result of the way the break occurred, doctors wanted to try a new spinal surgery which used cadaver bones to fuse together his broken vertebrate, and which required injections of human growth hormone. Since this was a new medical procedure, his medical insurance would not cover it.
Gina’s entire extended family began to pay out-of-pocket for the treatments, which — amazingly — worked! Although Gina’s brother will never fully regain his range of movement, he was able to walk.
The accident did leave him partially brain-damaged, however, with memory loss and short-term function impairment, and as a result, his martial arts school is now floundering.
Now, flash forward to the pending collapse of the auto industry and we find that Gina and Derek are once again in financial strain, on top of all the medical bills both sides of their extended families have and collection calls they are already receiving.
The auto parts store began to lose major orders from big auto companies, and all employee paychecks were immediately placed on hold.
For months, Gina and Derek have been looking unsuccessfully for other work, and they continue to put in more than 40 hours a week each to help the store stay afloat.
This has put an even greater financial strain on the family, and they are in a constant state of bill collectors, late payments, and have been in and out of foreclosure for months.
With an inability to sell their house because of the real-estate market, and nowhere left to turn within the family for financial support, the Roches have liquidated everything of value and live day-to-day.
Now comes the part of the story that highlights American ingenuity, creativity and perseverance, coupled with outright desperation.
The result is the new book series, The Great Little Miss-adventures of Bella the Great. Gina and Derek had long talked about writing a kids book about their sagacious and perceptive daughter, Bella, but never had the time to dedicate to the project or knew where to start.
While Derek was in California, sitting by his unconscious brother’s bedside, he wrote a song and some quick poems about his daughter.
When he returned to his family two weeks later, both Gina and Derek realized that they needed to cherish every second they have with their children, because you never know what’s going to happen next. They needed to stop waiting for things to happen and start doing something — now.
They struck a deal with their mortgage company, buying them a few more months before full foreclosure set in.
Although there was some interest from main-stream publishers the Roches did not have time to go through the process of submitting the book and getting it on the market or, for that fact, waiting for a check.
They found a printing house that was willing to work with them in getting this book out as quickly as possible.
Less than two weeks ago, they officially launched a Web site, www.bellathegreat.com. They have e-mailed and reached out to their friends and family, asking them to forward information on the book.
In just seven days, they had more than 200 advance book sales, a great start — but still a long way to go.
Although the books are being printed as we speak, the end of this story has not yet been written.
I am writing to spread the word about this book series and this amazingly resilient family.
I am also pleading with everyone who reads this to reach into your hearts to help the Roches. Every $15 book sale brings them one step closer to saving their home and their family.
The Great Little Miss-adventures of Bella the Great is inspirational in every sense of the word. The stories are funny and lovely, masterfully whimsical and entertaining. They’re alternately timely and magical; sobering and exhilarating, with a great moral center. I cannot recommend Bella the Great enough for both children and adults alike.
Information on the books and ordering instructions can be found online or by calling 1-917-533-6387.
I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to read this, and for helping in any way that you can.
Henry County native Summer Crockett Moore is an actress and producer in New York City, and the daughter of Larry and Sandra Moore of Paris. Her e-mail address is summermoore@nj.rr.com. Her father’s weekly column appears (above) on this page.
Posted on
Sun, March 7, 2010
by Summer Crockett Moore