TAMPA, Fla. — Melanie Ruiz has a guardian angel she calls Daisy.
"My grandmother's name was Margarita," says Ruiz, a virtual-school teacher in Tampa. "And Margarita in English is 'Daisy.' She was literally the life of the party."
When Melanie's grandmother lost a long battle with illness this year, the young woman was devastated.
Melanie needed a way to process her overwhelming grief.
In the middle of the night, inspiration struck: a children's book.
That's how Daisy the Angel, available at Barnes & Noble, Target and other book stores, was born.
The colorful remembrance celebrates Margarita and all grandmothers: having fun with them, growing old with them and saying goodbye.
The book is available in both English and Spanish; Melanie and Margarita are from Uruguay.
The story is deeply personal yet lovingly universal.
"Even though she's not here anymore," says Ruiz, "I know she's always watching over me."
