Rethinking Possible: A Memoir of Resilience


Rebecca Faye Smith Galli - 2017
    With a pastor father and a stay-at-home mother, her 1960s southern upbringing was bucolic--even enviable. But when her brother, only seventeen, died in a waterskiing accident, the slow unraveling of her perfect family began. Though grief overwhelmed the family, twenty-year-old Galli forged onward with her life plans--marriage, career, and raising a family of her own--one she hoped would be as idyllic as the family she once knew. But life had less than ideal plans in store. There was her son's degenerative, undiagnosed disease and subsequent death; followed by her daughter's autism diagnosis; her separation; and then, nine days after the divorce was final, the onset of the transverse myelitis that would leave Galli paralyzed from the waist down. Despite such unspeakable tragedy, Galli maintained her belief in family, in faith, in loving unconditionally, and in learning to not only accept, but also embrace a life that had veered down a path far different from the one she had envisioned. At once heartbreaking and inspiring, Rethinking Possible is a story about the power of love over loss and the choices we all make that shape our lives --especially when forced to confront the unimaginable.

War Ready: In My Father's Shadow


Mary Lou Darst - 2011
    Her father served in the military, and she traveled the world with him and her family. His assignments took them to Alaska, Virginia, Japan, Texas, and Germany, as part of the US Army's responsibilities in policing the world. This candid memoir recounts her family's life in new places and cultures following World War II. What was it like to be a child living in Japan seven years after the war? What was it like to be a thirteen-year-old living in Germany twelve years after the war? What was it like to grow up moving between cultures? This is the story of one family bound to service in the military at a time when the world was being redefined. For a young girl, it was the adventure of a lifetime as she learned the secrets of finding her own way in that new world. The author's story was informed by reading her father's diary, which offers up intimate and candid insight into the life of a typical soldier in a time of war. His entries describe his time serving aboard a battleship built for 800 soldiers--but carrying 6,000 to war. His tales--told from the perspective of a young soldier in southern England, Wales, and Scotland from 1943 to 1945--are glimpses into a life many will never know firsthand.

My Rescue Dog Rescued Me: Amazing True Stories of Adopted Canine Heroes


Sharon Ward Keeble - 2017
    Bernard who saved his owners from burglars on the first day he moved in.Alfie, the terrier who gave a bullied girl a new lease of life.As well as many other canine heroes who came to their owner’s aid—whether it was saving them from physical threats, or helping them to recover from mental illness, PTSD, and bereavement. Let these uplifting stories warm your heart, and show you that adopted dogs truly are man’s best friend.

90 Days to Live: Beating Cancer When Modern Medicine Offers No Hope


Rodney Stamps - 2019
    This heart-wrenching and heartwarming book chronicles Rodney's triumphant journey to full remission after following a little known but highly effective cancer treatment.What if you were told you had 90 days to live?For Rodney and Paige Stamps, Rodney's "out-of-the-blue" cancer diagnosis quickly turned a normally hypothetical question horribly real.When Paige met Rodney, a nationally touring heavy-metal drummer, they both fell hard. Rodney swapped his drumsticks for marriage, family, a job, and then, his own business.The '90-Days' diagnosis hit just as their business was starting to soar."You're going to die" was the solemn verdict from numerous MDs, who promised only to briefly extend Rodney's life. With both a growing family and business, and so much living still to do, Rodney's response to the no-hope prognosis? "I don't think so."90 Days to Live recounts the Stamps' incredible and inspirational journey to find an alternative "answer to cancer." In the end...They'd beaten the cancer and built a million dollar business.While his weight dropped from 190 to 138 lbs., Rodney and Paige explored countless cancer "cures" of widely varying value. They even exposed a scam treatment being peddled by a mob boss--crossing paths with the FDA and FBI!Alternately heart-wrenching and heart-warming--and delivered in an engaging dual-author format--90 Days to Live will speak to anyone struggling with an "incurable" disease, building a business under trying circumstances, or anyone who just loves a good old-fashioned, "beating-the-odds" story.

A Pink Mist


John Bercaw - 2013
    A circuitous route through troubled teenage years and four years in the Marines led him to Fort Wolters, Texas, and the US Army’s Warrant Officer Rotary Wing Aviation Course. For the first time in his life, he felt a deep sense of belonging. John’s successful struggle to master the beast called helicopter earned him an all-expense-paid trip to South Vietnam and the opportunity to prove himself as a combat pilot. His year of war was not as expected. Awed by the lush landscapes of Vietnam and the unexpected moments of war’s savage beauty, Bercaw changed his mind about war and its effect on the men who fought in it. He found himself able to overcome fear and doubt in combat and do his job to the best of his ability. Based on the books he had read and the movies he had seen, he had not anticipated the addiction to the highs and lows brought on by the intensity of war. The difficult part came at the end. Leaving Vietnam before the war was over, the sudden end to the daily adrenalin rushes and the sense of being part of something important—aggravated by the shameful reception experienced by all returning veterans—initiated a period of depression that haunted him for years.

Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Certification Course Kit - Including Practice Tests - Review of BLS and detailed instruction of ACLS algorithms


Karl Disque - 2013
    This is the online Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) course offered by Save a Life Certifications by NHCPS. This course builds on the foundation of lifesaving BLS skills, emphasizing the importance of continuous, high-quality CPR. This advanced course highlights the importance of high-performance team dynamics and communication, systems of care, recognition and intervention of cardiopulmonary arrest, immediate post-cardiac arrest, acute dysrhythmia, stroke, and acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Included with this purchase is a unique code that allows you to complete the ACLS course on the NHCPS website. This course also includes the most recent update of the NHCPS Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Provider Handbook with several constructive improvements to an already exceptional handbook. With these updates, NHCPS proudly offers one of the most effective and user-friendly ACLS Provider Handbooks on the market. Information covered by the course includes a review of BLS, and detailed instruction of ACLS algorithms, airway management, ACLS medications, and more. Full-page ACLS algorithms, as well as tables, diagrams, and other learning tools, are also included within the handbook. All material included in this handbook is delivered in a manner meant to enhance learning in the most comprehensive and convenient way possible. Upon completion of the course, you will receive an ACLS provider card in an electronic version as well as a printed copy shipped to your address (allow 3-5 business days for delivery).

Knit 2 Purl 2 Kill 2


Erina Bridget Ring - 2014
    When her mother's health begins to fail, Erina Bridget Ring searches for something to do during the hours she spends at her mother's bedside. What she discovers is knitting--and a group of women knitters. But as she learns to knit and at the same time cares for her ailing mother, she finds that things at the knitting group are not what they seem to be.

Blood Over Water


David Livingston - 2009
    It was the first time brothers had battled each other in this gladiatorial and quintessentially British tradition for over a hundred years. Only one could be victorious. In this book, David and James tell their stories for the first time, giving an intimate insight into one of our least understood but best-loved national sporting occasions. James, following in his family’s footsteps, is a student at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, while David, wanting to escape his brother's shadow, joins Christ Church College at Oxford University. As the pair embark on training loads almost beyond endurance, their stories reveal the rivalries between these ancient and great institutions. Told in alternating narratives, Blood over Water is an emotional and searching joint self-portrait, and an account of a brotherly relationship tested to breaking point. David's fervent desire to beat his older brother pushes him on, but drives an impenetrable wedge between the siblings. As the race approaches they are unable even to speak to each other.It is only after the race, James wrestling with his final Cambridge exams, that they start to reconcile their shattered relationship, damaged by their pursuit of a shared dream.Not only a nail-biting drama for sports fans, Blood over Water also looks at the darker side of sibling rivalry and asks just what you would be willing to sacrifice to achieve your dreams.

The Silver Lining: An Insightful Guide to the Realities of Breast Cancer


Hollye Jacobs - 2014
    It soon evolved into a daily must-read for thousands of women worldwide. Now, in a graceful, exquisitely illustrated work with full-color photographs by award-winning photographer Elizabeth Messina, Jacobs offers an informative, therapeutic guide for people who have been diagnosed with the disease.Part personal memoir, part professional guide, The Silver Lining is the book that Jacobs wished she’d had when she began her fight with cancer. She covers what every patient can expect as they go through their specific treatment and teaches other big issues, such as nutrition and how to talk to children about illness. While the book is brimming with action steps to help negotiate each phase of treatment and recovery, every chapter concludes with “Silver Linings”—the sources of inspiration and perspective that buoyed Jacobs through her own journey and that, taken together, comprise the heartbeat of the book.“Like a good friend, this book will be by your side as you travel through the world of breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery,” says Dr. Susan Love, surgeon, breast cancer research advocate, and author of Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book. An invaluable guide, a gorgeously rendered object of beauty, The Silver Lining will be the manual for breast cancer patients and their loved ones.

Bobblehead Dad: 25 Life Lessons I Forgot I Knew


Jim Higley - 2011
    Jim Higley was a forty-year-old bobblehead. Just like those collectible figurines with oversized, bouncy heads, he'd put on a smiling face and bobble through his hectic, overflowing days.Higley's bobbling came to a screeching halt with the diagnosis of cancer, surgery, and a summer of healing. More than a cancer story, however, Bobblehead Dad puts you in a front row seat as the author discovers the illuminating parallels between events in his childhood and his adulthood. Higley, whose weekly fatherhood column appears in the Chicago Tribune's TribLocal, unwraps poignant lessons from his family history with rich, vivid detail. His story reveals meaning in simple moments and the people who fill them--including the surprise discovery of his most important lesson, which had been quietly waiting for over thirty years.

Saving Bobby: Heroes and Heroin in One Small Community


Renee Hodges - 2018
    She believed that if he could address his back problems, he’d have a better chance of a long-term recovery—but she was completely unprepared for the lengthy journey that followed. Unlike other books about addiction, SAVING BOBBY begins after Bobby has left the structure and protection of rehabilitation centers and half-way houses. Told in part through journal entries and e-mails, this raw, deeply moving memoir describes the resources and holistic process used to help Bobby reclaim his life, including the importance of being in a community that can move past the shame and stigma of addiction. A riveting and timely read for those concerned about America’s most pressing epidemic. —Claude T. Moorman, III, MD, Executive Director, Duke Sports Sciences Institute and Head Team Physician, Duke Athletics

A Pilgrim for Freedom


Michael B. Novakovic - 2016
    It is one part the account of a refugee family who barely survived explosions and hunger while seeking safety during World War II, and includes vivid descriptions of the hardships Mike, his siblings, and parents endured. It is another part the story of an immigrant family who came to the United States (by way of Argentina) after the war and with great ingenuity and industry worked their way up to levels of success that had been unimaginable during the darkest days of war. Finally, it is also the chronicle of a loyal and valiant soldier who sought to pay back his debts to the United States for defeating fascism and communism through distinguished service in the U.S. Air Force's intelligence operations. In sum, it is a riches-to-rags-to-riches story that testifies both to the resilience of one man and to the ideals of the nation that inspired him.

"It's Cancer"


Jay Otterbacher - 2012
    When both of you are diagnosed within weeks of each other the uncertainty is relentless. Jay Otterbacher's memoir details one unbelievable year he could never have imagined. Anyone with a friend, colleague or loved one facing cancer can better understand what they are going through from this amazing story of thirty-two weeks in 2006. "It's Cancer" provides an unfiltered view behind the public facade into the home, relationships and treatment of one ordinary couple facing an inconceivable battle against two cancers at the same time. The implausible circumstances created the story. This narrative captures it in an open and friendly manner that allows you to be there with Karen and Jay as they use humor and strength to navigate through the fear, stress and uncertainty that all cancer patients know too well. Whether it was family, friends, dolphins or doctors something always appeared just the way it had to at just the time they needed it during this incredible year. In amazing detail, Jay shares the impact that each of these encounters had on their fight with the disease and their perspectives on life. If you have been told "It's Cancer," this book can be a source of hope and inspiration while you learn from the choices (both good and bad) that Karen and Jay made in their treatment and in communicating with the people who cared about them. If cancer has touched someone in your life the details captured in this book will give you insight into the week to week grind of the fight to regain control of their lives. Excerpt: When he finished walking us through the plan I asked about mastectomy. He said it was not even something he was considering in Karen's case. He explained that mastectomy was invasive surgery with a long recovery time and there was no evidence that it would improve her survival chances. I thought about debating with him since I had about twelve hours of exhaustive internet self-study on breast cancer but since we loved his answer I let him ride on this one. By the time we had walked back across the causeway through the hospital and to our car, Karen had her jaw set. She was going to beat this and she was going to do it in a big way. She declared that she wanted an elliptical machine so she could work out at home and stay in shape during her recovery. I responded that we would get one. Karen let me know that that was not good enough; she wanted one now. We drove from the hospital to an exercise equipment store. They had six or eight different models in the store, three of which were on sale. Karen pointed to one of the top models and said "that one." At that point the salesman in the store started his pitch on a lesser model that was on sale. He apparently did not understand that the answer to everything that day was to be yes. I gave him a shut up look, a credit card and asked how much to have it delivered that day. By the end of the day it was installed in our exercise room. It would be nine months before either of us would use it.

All That Followed: A story of cancer, kids and the fear of leaving too soon


Emma Campbell - 2018
    This is a deeply felt memoir about motherhood, survival and learning to live for whatever life throws at you." CLOVER STROUD, author of The Wild OtherAn extraordinary story of facing life s multiple (!) trials with love, resilience and courage, told in Emma s warm, funny and unflinchingly honest style. AMY McCULLOCH, author of Jinxed and The Potion DiariesWith four children (three of them triplets!) and a relationship break-up to contend with, some things get a little lost in the mix. Like symptoms. Emma Campbell bravely and honestly offers heartfelt thoughts on what happens when cancer becomes an unwelcome guest at an already crowded party. She shares her own terror and pain, mixed with the heartwarming and unexpected. The extraordinary kindness of people and the gritty detail of battling a life-threatening illness, all while being a single mum to four children. She opens up about her angels and demons, losing and then finding love again, a constant fear of death mixed with the joy and relief of living, the anxiety of cancer returning - then facing it when it does. This book has grown from Emma's blog Me And My Four. Eager to share with her followers in more detail, the secrets, the fears, the triumphs and the terrors that she faces each day, in a life as unpredictable as your own...www.meandmyfour.com

All My Dogs Go to Heaven


Kay Bratt - 2021
    Kay Bratt explores these ideas in All (my) Dogs Go to Heaven. Touching on relevant Biblical scriptures, she chronicles her tumultuous past— including a traveling childhood and a near decade of domestic abuse— revealing how her beloved pets helped her cope, and instilled hope for better days ahead. Interspersed within this memoir are short essays from real people who have experienced signs from their departed pets as proof that they are still around in spirit. Included in the back of the book is a Grief Guide to help get us through those first devastating days after our loss.Insightful and fascinating, Kay Bratt has ultimately given us a message of hope with All (my) Dogs Go to Heaven. -Judy Morgan, Founder of Yorkie Rescue of the Carolinas