Will an Ex-Blackwood Woman's Tale of Life and Love Win Her $25K?

A former Gloucester Township resident hopes that her remarkable short story of love, life and family can win her $25,000 and an appearance in a future edition of Reader's Digest.

Dorothy Milazzo wrote a short story as part of the Reader's Digest's Your Life Short Story contest. Participants had to tell a story about something or someone important in their lives in 150 words or less.

Milazzo's tale, “Life Shared,” recounts how she met her husband Joe in 1950 and their journey together as they fell in love, got married and had three children—although Milazzo's shyness could have derailed the whole thing from the start. Milazzo's full story can be read on the Reader's Digest Facebook page.

“When they talk about a marriage made in heaven, that was us,” she said.

Milazzo said she was intrigued by the contest and has kept hundreds of journal entries detailing various stories of her life's journey with her family.

“I started to keep a diary,” she said. “I have years worth of that that I wrote.”

Milazzo and her husband, Joe, lived in Gloucester Township for many years. They originally moved to Glendora from Philadelphia, and then later lived in Blenheim and most recently, in Blackwood with their son, Jimmy. This past year, Milazzo moved to Franklinville.

Milazzo wrote the story because of how important her family has been for her throughout her life. In recent years, when Alzheimer's disease complications plagued Joe, her children were there to help.

“We had my husband fall down and broke his hip,” Milazzo recalled. “We had him in a medical center in Lakeland. Later, he fell in the night and broke his other hip. Since he had the Alzheimer's, we thought he should be in the nursing home. But my daughter said we should bring him home.”

Her husband died from the disease on Oct. 8, 2010. Milazzo, who has written for various magazines in the Philadelphia area in the past, felt it was important to share the story of how she met Joe and the love they shared throughout their lives. She did add to it would be nice if she wins.

The writer with the most voters on Reader's Digest's Facebook page will win the Your Life Short Story contest. You can read Milazzo's story and vote for it here. All of the entries for the contest can be found at the contest's main page.