Bakersfield, CA Author Publishes Memoir

It's Okay to Cry, It's Okay to Laugh, It's Okay to Keep on Loving: Cancer - Loving Into, Through, and Beyond The Disease, a new book by Jamie Merrill, has been released by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc.

Jamie and Roxana Merrill lived and loved through ups and downs, joys and sorrows through their twenty-one years together, but nothing prepared them for Roxana's multiple myeloma cancer diagnosis. Jamie carries on Roxana's life and legacy by telling her story, sharing with others her journey, her fight against cancer with dignity and love. With the devastating loss of his wife, Jamie learns how to accept and manage grief. It is okay to be angry. It is okay to find joy again. It is okay to feel what you feel. The most important action to take is placing your best foot forward and complete the story your loved one has begun.

For anyone struggling with a loss of a loved one or their own chronic illness, Jamie and Roxana's story is a heart-wrenching tale, one that is filled with moments of humor and levity alongside the moments of seemingly inescapable grief. Their love story is a reminder to keep living, to keep thriving, and to carry on with your loved one inside your heart.

About the Author
Jamie Merrill is a sixty-one year old lifelong retail food service operator and consultant who celebrates his colorful past as the stepping stone to getting his life "right" and becoming the man he is today. He is a self-taught bassist and guitar player, with the high point of his performing career being part of the opening act for Pearl Bailey at the old Riverboat Lounge in the Empire State Building.

Merrill was born and raised in the Bronx and later relocated to California, where he met Roxana. Roxana has two sons from a previous marriage, and Jamie became a stepfather after their marriage.

It's Okay to Cry, It's Okay to Laugh, It's Okay to Keep on Loving: Cancer - Loving Into, Through, and Beyond The Disease is a 110-page paperback with a retail price of $33.00 (eBook $28.00). The ISBN is 979-8-88812-475-8. It was published by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For members of the press, to request a review copy, visit our virtual pressroom at https://dorrancepressroom.com/its-okay-to-cry-its-okay-to-laugh-its-okay-to-keep-on-loving-cancer-loving-into-through-and-beyond-the-disease/ or to buy the book visit our online bookstore at https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/its-okay-to-cry-its-okay-to-laugh-its-okay-to-keep-on-loving-cancer-loving-into-through-and-beyond-the-disease/