A Montreal mother continues to celebrate the life and legacy of her late son Jason Di Tullio, a cherished name in Montreal’s soccer community.
Giulia Garofano just released her second book honouring the former professional soccer player who passed away in 2022.
“La Grinta,” which was Di Tullio’s nickname, is a heartfelt story for children.
“Such a positive inspiring book that I can’t wait for every house to have. Every kid should read it,” said Garofano.
Di Tullio, who was an assistant coach with CF Montreal, was known for sparking a smile everywhere he went. He died at age 38 after battling stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
READ MORE: Heartfelt tribute: Soccer fields at Samuel-Morse Park in RDP being named after Jason Di Tullio
“So we’re going to put that aside for now,” Garofano said. “Let’s go to the positive way, the positive side. Mommy’s doing good. It’s going to be four years already. July 29 is four years, can you believe that? So I want to go, let’s go forward. Grief will always exist.”
Garofano released her first book two years ago about her experience with caregiving. It also shared Di Tullio’s message of grit and determination – that’s what “grinta” means in Italian.
The pages of this new book are filled with an adventure based on a true story.
“It’s a good example of inclusion and that every kid matters,” Garofano said. “Every kid is seen. And that’s what Jason was all about. It was about kindness and no matter what faith, what religion you’re in, how you look and how you don’t look, everybody fits in.”
The bilingual book took 11 months to put together with her team. It’s available to purchase by messaging Garofano directly through social media.
“No matter what happens in life, it doesn’t have to be just sports, it can be a situation at home, never give up,” she said. “There’s a solution to every problem. There’s a solution to every problem.”
