Maria Sansalone has a Bachelor's in English from American International College, and an Associate's in Science degree. She has worked in the past in hospital settings in the area of health information management, and for the last ten years as a Cross Reference editor for Merriam-Webster, Inc., the dictionary and reference publishers. Her position allows her access to information from almost every field. But, nothing, she says, prepared her for her son's diagnosis of an optic glioma. "It was a completely shocking and shattering experience, and it's taken many years to find a balance. Listening to families relate their own experiences for this book was immensely influential. I think it helped… to bring things back full circle."