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Beating the Odds
In November 2003, my father was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. When it was revealed that it was stage four, that was a virtual death sentence...
Jul 7
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Danielle Dragona
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Beating the Odds
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June 2025
A Life Reduced to a Candle Flame
In November 2024, eight months after my father died, the Catholic church in our town offered a memorial mass for the parishioners who had passed that…
Jun 11
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Danielle Dragona
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A Life Reduced to a Candle Flame
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May 2025
I Am Enough
I believe that gratitude is one of the paths to happiness. While I don’t suppose most people would dispute that perception, it appears to be easier for…
May 31
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Danielle Dragona
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I Am Enough
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Innocence Lost
I was nearly four years old the day my father didn’t come home. When I finally asked my mother where he was, I was told the truth. My parents divorced…
May 12
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Danielle Dragona
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Innocence Lost
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April 2025
The Fist Bump
I didn’t want to drive to the hospital, but something deep inside commanded me to go. I was shattered from the anxiety of watching my father grow…
Apr 28
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Danielle Dragona
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The Fist Bump
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Done Being Small
Growing up, I was an anxious and highly perceptive kid. Even though my family undoubtedly loved me, they didn’t realize what a sensitive child I was...
Apr 14
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Danielle Dragona
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Done Being Small
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March 2025
Beauty in Chaos
I was always a believer in the concept that if we search diligently, even in the darkness, we can discover the light...
Mar 31
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Danielle Dragona
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Beauty in Chaos
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My First Valentine
My father was my first Valentine. He was my first everything. My first love, and along with my mother, my primary playmate, and my earliest friend...
Mar 19
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Danielle Dragona
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My First Valentine
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The Unexpected Visit
Christmas has been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. There’s something so inexplicably enchanted about the hues of twinkling lights…
Mar 3
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Danielle Dragona
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The Unexpected Visit
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December 2024
Your Birthday Without You
On September twenty-ninth, nineteen forty-seven, you were ushered into the world, thrust out onto the planet to embark on your expedition through…
Dec 4, 2024
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Danielle Dragona
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Your Birthday Without You
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October 2024
Where Did You Go, Dad? September 19, 2024
You were the first man I ever loved. Although it was unbreakable, that love wasn’t always easy, even if it was between a father and his daughter.
Oct 28, 2024
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Danielle Dragona
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Where Did You Go, Dad? September 19, 2024
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September 2024
The Void – March 5, 2024
On March 5, 2024, the bottom dropped out from my life as I free-fell into a shadowy abyss. I lost my rock, my best friend, and the first man I ever…
Sep 12, 2024
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Danielle Dragona
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The Void – March 5, 2024
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