True Love Deserves to Be Remembered: A Husband's Tribute to Enduring Love

Fate brought them back together, blossoming into a lifetime of devotion amidst Parkinson's Disease diagnosis

SMITHTOWN, N.Y., Sept. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Almost everyone experiences a first love. For many, it's a fleeting moment; for others, it leaves a lasting impression. For author Michael Fazio, that first love returned decades later after he laid eyes on Maria Laezza at the age of 15. In tribute to unwavering devotion, he shares their story in his new book, "Smitten Twice: The Story of an Enduring Love Affair."

Set against the backdrop of Brooklyn's Italian American neighborhood, Fazio's memoir chronicles his relationship with Maria from a youthful courtship and raising a family, to facing the progression of Maria's Parkinson's Disease. He speaks about his experience as a caregiver, offering insight into the intimate realities of long-term illness and end-of-life love.

"Our story is more than a memoir," Fazio said. "It's a meditation on what it means to love someone through every season of life. I want to share moments of joy, heartbreak, and a legacy I made with Maria by reflecting on the spiritual endurance that comes with honoring a lifetime commitment."

Fazio emphasizes the importance of love, describing it as a commitment and a gift, a gift that everyone deserves to experience. By sharing his testament, he not only honors the woman who changed his life but encourages his readers to believe in lasting love, to cherish it when found, and to never take it for granted in moments of better or worse.

"This is a love letter to my Maria," Fazio said. "As well to my children and grandchildren, and to the readers seeking a reminder that lasting love is not a myth, but real, starting with a teenage crush and ending with a whispered goodnight."

"Smitten Twice: The Story of an Enduring Love Affair" 
By Michael Fazio
ISBN: 9798823030922 (softcover); 9798823030915 (electronic)
Available at AuthorHouse, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author
Michael Fazio graduated from St. John's University and earned a master's degree from Stony Brook University. He taught in the Long Island Public Schools for more than thirty years. Fazio and his wife, Maria, now deceased, raised their two daughters in the Village of Nissequogue in the town of Smithtown, where he still lives and is active in village affairs. To learn more, please visit https://www.authorhouse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/859649-smitten-twice.

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SOURCE AuthorHouse