by Kelly A. Mello

Created on: September 21, 2007   Last Updated: November 11, 2007

Author of "A Healing Heart", Alberta H. Sequeira, 66, of Pocasset, MA, is an inspiring mentor that everyone should get to know. Though I only met her recently, it is quite evident that she has had a lot of interesting experiences she is willing to share with others. Perhaps most importantly, she is willing to help others on their journey to become a writer. Here is her story.

Mrs. Sequeira was born to Albert L. and Sophie Gramm. She has three brothers, Joe, Bill and her twin, Albert, and one sister, Leona Waltman. She had one other brother who tragically passed away from Polio in 1945. He was only 8 years old.

Her father was a Brigadier General. For this reason, she spent her childhood constantly moving around until she finally settled in North Dighton in the fifties. She graduated from Dighton High School, Class of 1960. That summer, the school was destroyed by a fire.

Several years later, in 1990, Mrs. Sequeira's father passed away after fighting cancer. She soon realized that she had missed out on learning about her father's fascinating life.

Mrs. Sequeira was married to the late Richard Lopes for fourteen years. In 1993, she remarried to Al Sequeira and moved to Rochester, MA. They have five children; Deborah Dutra, Lynne Poitras, John Sequeira, Alan Sequeira and Carol Applebee. They had one other daughter, Lori (Cahill) Nadeau, who died of Cirrhosis on Nov. 22, 2006 at age 39. Mr. and Mrs. Sequeira also have 10 grandchildren; Michael and Kerri Dutra, Joe and Meagan Cahill, Andy and Kailey Poitras, Rosalie and Lillian Sequeira and Jordan and Julia Applebee.

She belonged to the St. John Neumann Church in East Freetown, MA and had been a Eucharistic Minister and Vice President of the St. John Neumann Couple's Club for two years.

In 1998, Mrs. Sequeira began piecing together different aspects of her father's life. What started as a sort of diary for her family would soon turn into a novel, titled "A Healing Heart". Finally, in November 2006, her book hit the shelves thanks to PublishAmerica and the support of the writer's workshop she belonged to.

"I respect PublishAmerica for the fact that they give all writers a chance to get published," said Sequeira, "Many books that are published by them have become movies," she added.

"A Healing Heart" is a story about Alberta Sequeira's pilgrimage to Medjugorje, Bosnia, and her inner thoughts and emotions. She recounts the agony she felt when she learned of the prognosis of her father's cancer and how life, your own as well

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