Staying Fit
In The Beauty of Love, New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada and his wife, Laura, describe in poignant detail how the seemingly perfect trajectory of their lives veered afield the day their son, Jorge Jr., was born. "I knew that something was wrong when I first saw him," Laura recalls, "although when I held him, I immediately knew what love was. It was a bittersweet moment." Their boy had craniosynostosis, a life-threatening condition in which skull bones fuse together prematurely.
But this isn't a story of despair. In alternating chapters, Jorge and Laura detail the surgeries and their own heartache and, ultimately, pride in Jorge Jr., now, 10. AARP VIVA caught up with Jorge Posada on his way to Yankee Stadium, eager to get back into the game after recovering from a foot injury. Laura Posada spoke from Miami, where she was driving home.
Q. What made you decide to write this book? Why now?
Jorge Posada: Jorge is 10 now and obviously doing very well, and I wanted people to get a sense of what we went through as a family.
AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal
Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.
People need to understand what a difficult condition craniosynostosis is and how tough the operations can be. The most important reason, however, is that we want to help out other kids and families dealing with the same condition. It's not easy and there are more kids that are going to be born with this craniosynostosis and will need help. That's why we started the Jorge Posada Foundation, and the book is a more formal way to share our story with others.
Q. Did writing this book change your relationship with each other?
Laura Posada: Definitely. When all this was going on, Jorge and I made a pact not to talk about it. There were many times when I was dying inside and I wouldn't let him see that. And I know there were times he was going through the same, but we were both trying to remain strong and positive and not dwell on the negative. I now can see that he is more human.
There were times when I thought, "How could he go out there and play baseball?" And now I know that it was his form of therapy, of getting some of the tension out — baseball sort of saved him from going into a depression. After completing the book, I understand and appreciate him more.
Q. Did working on the book change the way you viewed the experience of raising Jorge Luis?
Jorge: As soon as he was born, we understood that something was wrong, and then 10 days later, we are told he has this condition. We were altered as a family. The diagnosis really changed the way we treated him, but I think, especially after writing the book, that everything happens for a reason. Now he understands what's going on with his condition and that he's a special kid because he can help others.
Q. Can you describe the first time you saw Jorge Luis?
Laura: We were in the delivery room of the hospital in Puerto Rico, and things got complicated. The umbilical cord got tied around his neck, the doctors were trying to give me an epidural that wasn't working and then my husband was getting dizzy and I had to tell them to get him out of the room. After they cleaned up my baby and gave him to me, I immediately knew something was wrong, although when I held him for the first time I also immediately knew what love was — it was a bittersweet moment. I looked into his eyes, I was like: "Oh my God, this is a part of me. This little boy can't defend himself; I'm all he has."
More From AARP
Quiz: Test Your Baseball IQ
How much do you know about America's favorite pastime?