STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Elisa Roces speaks from deep within her heart when she says she never thought she’d have the desire to write a book about her life growing up in a traditional Italian family in the Sheepshead neighborhood of Brooklyn.
However, she says her purpose in writing the narrative that spans decades was to inspire others to turn tragic stories into a sort of triumph and perhaps even be an uplifting source for those who’ve been burdened and faced with tragedy. An incentive for others who have fallen on tough times, readers will attest to Elisa’s strength and fortitude, a testament to the experiences she’s undergone and the power of resilience and positivity. In her riveting account she’s chosen to call “A Grieving Girl From Brooklyn,” the Prince’s Bay resident delves deep into her past and how her belief in God has become even stronger.
The cover of "A Grieving Girl From Brooklyn." (Courtesy/Roces family) Staten Island Advance A LITTLE ABOUT ELISA’S LIFE Over the years Elisa has lost several loved ones. As a teen she cites the thrill of her first loving relationship with a handsome suitor, the ups and downs of their relationship, and the sadness she endured when he succumbed to injuries after a horrific car accident.
She recalled the week of his wake when a white dove was perched on the terrace of her home until the last day of his funeral. “This truly made me believe that God had to be real and he was sending the dove as a sign that he was okay,” she said. Several years passed, and Elisa and her family relocated to Staten Island.
After dating for three years, she married, and after three more years baby Jenna Ann was born. The marriage ended in divorce. More time passed and Elisa was introduced to Mike, a Marine.
He adored little Jenna and the three of them enjoyed dates to the Bronx Zoo and Hershey Park. When it came time for Mike to propose marriage, he presented not one but two rings — one to Elisa and the other to Jenna who was so excited to show it off. Mike and Elisa would have two children — a girl, Gabriella Grace, and a boy, Michael John.
Fast forward to 2015 and Jenna, now grown, would meet the love of her life whom she eventually married. On Jan. 11, 2022, the Roces family received a call that Jenna, then 29, was unresponsive after taking a sedative laced with fentanyl.
She died of cardiac arrest. After that night, life would forever be changed. Elissa and Michael Roces and Jenna.
(Courtesy/Roces family) Staten Island Advance In her book Elisa explains how honored she was to be Jenna’s mother, and she would go on to explain there was something so special about her sweet little girl. And the way in which, through life’s trials and tribulations and through sicknesses and healthy and happy times, Jenna was always her biggest supporter and never left her side. Jenna, Michael John and Gabriella Grace.
(Courtesy/Roces family) Staten Island Advance Though Elisa was devastated, she managed to remain strong through it all. About a year after Jenna’s passing, when Elisa was still in shock, she felt a strong desire to go back and visit all of the memories she made in Brooklyn. They were happy, carefree times when she was young and didn’t have a worry in the world, she said.
Grandmother Maryanne, Jenna and nephew, Mason. (Courtesy/Roces family) Staten Island Advance As a way to cope, she created a page online in hopes that her thoughts and words might benefit anyone experiencing the same type of grief. “I started an account on Tik Tok that was dedicated to helping others going through the same hardships,” she said.
“It was a way for me to speak about Jenna once a day and tell the world how special she was.” “The reason why I called my book and my TikTok page ‘A Grieving Girl From Brooklyn’ is because I felt a need to go back to my roots and revisit all of my much cherished childhood memories,” said the author. Jenna in her bridal veil.
(Courtesy/Roces family) Staten Island Advance “I learned my love for nature under my pink Mimosa tree,” she continued. “My first friends were from Brooklyn, my first love was from Brooklyn and I had freedom with no stress. I was just a carefree young girl and I wanted to return to my childhood.
” Loss has sadly become a part of her life. “We make our memories last forever with the people that matter to us the most, and when they’re taken away from us we are constantly reminded why we loved them,” she continued. “I started to get more followers each day and had so many beautiful comments and prayers and so many others that lost loved ones and we share a common bond in grief,” she noted.
Jenna as a young adult. (Courtesy/Roces family) Staten Island Advance “If you’re a person who has lost a loved one, then this book is for you. Take it from my own personal accounts that grief changes everything.
It has changed my perspective, and here I will share how I cope with it,” she advised. “A Grieving Girl From Brooklyn” is available on Amazon.com and Kindle.
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