About the Author
Chris Cutino
Chris is a father, a husband, and a man rewired by grief. Sales leadership shaped his career, but his life has been defined by his wife and two children. They taught him more about heart, grit, and connection than any sales bullpen or boardroom ever offered.
The sudden loss of his son Vincent at 23 forced him to see his life in pieces.
As he moved through the first year, he began searching for answers. He immersed himself in a sea of research - books, blogs, online forums, late-night videos - in his attempt to understand his own journey through grief and the emotional isolation that came with it. He started hearing his own experience echoed in the stories of others. In doing so, he found some connection. But as he was looking to understand his own grief, he struggled to find enough voices speaking honestly from inside this kind of loss, especially how few of those stories came from fathers.
The notes he scribbled in the early months became an unintended record of shock and pain. Over time - at the suggestion of his daughter - those notes expanded to journaling, and ultimately became Vincent’s Bookends, in an attempt to bring some level of control to the chaos of grief.
Vincent's Bookends is an honest account from a father's unique perspective. It was written to honor a love for his son that can't be broken, no matter how much time passes. As it progressed, it became a way to provide insight to those who are trying to understand grief for someone else - to better support loved ones who are living inside it.
Most of all, he hopes to help those living through heartbreak to see that even when grief feels isolating, they are not alone. Grief demands many things, but recognition matters most.
Chris continues his work in leadership and public speaking as he rebuilds a life that carries Vincent’s memory with intention. He lives in Maryland with his wife, Christine, and his daughter, Amanda, both of whom also shared an unshakable bond with Vincent that sits at the heart of this story.