In the early morning hours of August 4, 2013, Joy Pavelich's world was shattered when she found out that her twenty-year old son Eric had taken his own life at the family farm in Saskatchewan. Struggling to make sense of Eric's sudden and unexpected suicide, Joy takes a deeply personal and difficult journey through his past--from his happy childhood, to his mental health struggles in his early teens, to his death and the resulting aftermath of his passing. Chasing My Son Across Heaven demonstrates how to rebuild a life fractured by extreme trauma using storytelling as a powerful healing tool. The author tackles some of the most pressing issues facing society today; youth mental health, suicide and post-traumatic stress. Through her explorations, Joy reveals how we can all find the courage to rebuild our lives while continuing to honor the deep love for those we've lost.
LOS ANGELES TIMES AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER • The powerful memoir of a young doctor and former college athlete diagnosed with a rare disease who spearheaded the search for a cure—and became a champion for a new approach to medical research. “A wonderful and moving chronicle of a doctor’s relentless pursuit, this book serves both patients and physicians in demystifying the science that lies behind medicine.”—Siddhartha Mukherjee, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene David Fajgenbaum, a former Georgetown quarterback, was nicknamed the Beast in medical school, where he was also known for his unmatched mental stamina. But things changed dramatically when he began suffering from inexplicable fatigue. In a matter of weeks, his organs were failing and he was read his last rites. Doctors were baffled by his condition, which they had yet to even diagnose. Floating in and out of consciousness, Fajgenbaum prayed for a second chance, the equivalent of a dramatic play to second the game into overtime. Miraculously, Fajgenbaum survived—only to endure repeated near-death relapses from what would eventually be identified as a form of Castleman disease, an extremely deadly and rare condition that acts like a cross between cancer and an autoimmune disorder. When he relapsed while on the only drug in development and realized that the medical community was unlikely to make progress in time to save his life, Fajgenbaum turned his desperate hope for a cure into concrete action: Between hospitalizations he studied his own charts and tested his own blood samples, looking for clues that could unlock a new treatment. With the help of family, friends, and mentors, he also reached out to other Castleman disease patients and physicians, and eventually came up with an ambitious plan to crowdsource the most promising research questions and recruit world-class researchers to tackle them. Instead of waiting for the scientific stars to align, he would attempt to align them himself. More than five years later and now married to his college sweetheart, Fajgenbaum has seen his hard work pay off: A treatment he identified has induced a tentative remission and his novel approach to collaborative scientific inquiry has become a blueprint for advancing rare disease research. His incredible story demonstrates the potency of hope, and what can happen when the forces of determination, love, family, faith, and serendipity collide. Praise for Chasing My Cure “A page-turning chronicle of living, nearly dying, and discovering what it really means to be invincible in hope.”—Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit “[A] remarkable memoir . . . Fajgenbaum writes lucidly and movingly . . . Fajgenbaum’s stirring account of his illness will inspire readers.”—Publishers Weekly
Between Heaven & Hollywood is David’s inspirational journey from the wheat fields of his Mennonite home outside of Dodge City Kansas, to the bright lights of Los Angeles. This story of perseverance will assure you that your dreams aren’t frivolous. They might be the most important part of your life. White has starred in more than twenty-five movies and produced forty films, including the blockbuster God’s Not Dead. He serves as a Managing Partner of Pure Flix, the largest faith-based movie studio in the world. With his signature wit and sidesplitting hilarity, David’s story of faithfulness, grounded in the biblical truth that no dream is too big for God, will inspire you to relentlessly pursue your dreams, and in the process, bring the reality of God’s kingdom a little closer to the here and now. God has planted a dream in your heart that is both unique to you and essential to the world. White reminds us that there is no one too common, too uneducated, too poor, too inexperienced, or too broken that he or she cannot be used by God.
As you are looking into this book I want you to know that I am not a professional writer or try to impress you with my story. This book is about an unexpected journey that I had with my Son. We travel the road of America and do the amazing things that I was only dreaming about. We had went to may beautiful places, heard wonderful stories, and get to know the people that live across America who had help us along the way with their open arms. I want to share this very special time and incredible experience I had with you. It had opened my mind to see life differently and open my heart to live in harmony. But important of all is a message that I must pass on to you.
“As I sat in prayer, through tears and anguish and bitterness of soul, He was with me. He too will be with You if You acknowledge Jesus as Your Savior. This story is God’s story. He is the author of my life and though I would like to choose to write things differently, I trust Him.” Christian, My Son takes you through the journey of one woman’s immense grieving over the loss of her only son, Christian, and everything that God spoke to her during that time. From the day of her son's tragic passing to over a year after his death, she chronicles how God spoke to her each step of the way in her grieving. Taken through moments of hope and encouragement, to times of defeat and exhaustion, she shares how God was there through it all and taught her many great truths. There were questions. There were answers. There were many occasions of despair but also numerous incidents of being challenged to live out the faith she believed in. The author shares candidly about the thoughts and feelings she experienced after the loss of her beloved son and includes real journal entries in hopes that other hurting hearts will know they are not alone in what they may be feeling. Based on the truths of God found in the Bible, this true story offers comfort to readers, that there is a hope and a future for those who choose to seek after Jesus. Christian, My Son is an emotional read, but one full of truth and hope.
Gothiniad of Surazeus - Oracle of Gotha presents 150,792 lines of verse in 1,948 poems, lyrics, ballads, sonnets, dramatic monologues, eulogies, hymns, and epigrams written by Surazeus 1993 to 2000.
Chase is a small boy who finds himself abandoned on the streets. He is joined by a Russian Siberian cat who becomes his heroine. It seems as if the entire world is out to get him. He is uncertain about why and how he has become the world's youngest fugitive and faces dangers and confusion no child should ever face. Street children are a reality in many countries and, now, in ours as well. His biggest fear comes from a grifter who goes by the name of Boss Man by his crew of misused women. He is sought by BM, social workers, an evil adult street person and the police. What will happen to this misused and abandoned child?
In January 1984, I endured a sorrow deeper than my worst nightmares and fears. After experiencing two miscarriages, several surgeries, and an enormous amount of emotional disappointment trying to have children, I saw my newborn son's life slip away from me after only 36 hours on this earth. As the sorrow and loss began to surround me, I struggled to survive, as any mother would. It didn't matter that I was part of a well-known family and married to an evangelist. It didn't matter that they were known by millions of people across America and the world. The grief still cut me like a knife. Despair still haunted my waking and sleeping hours, and I wondered if I could ever know joy again after losing my precious baby. In that desperate time, I turned to God. Although pain and sorrow can invade anyone's life in any area of life, I believe God is quick to bring comfort and healing to those who call out to Him.
Germany, 1940. While struggling to survive at an orphanage, young Didi crosses paths with a rebellious, quirky girl who will either help her escape a life of abuse and uncertainty or lead her down an even darker path. Fast-forward to 1970. With help from a worn leather journal, another young girl learns the story of Didi, who escaped war-torn Germany for a better life in America—except her life didn’t turn out as expected. The stories of these two girls intertwine and eventually collide one Christmas night when Didi, all grown up, finally remembers the secret she buried long ago. Chasing North Star looks back at a time when four free-range siblings, cigarettes in hand, roamed the streets ’til sunrise and hid from a gun-toting, mentally ill mother who couldn’t help herself. Stingray bicycles, transistor radios, and late nights in the cemetery—just another day in Alamo. That is, until the youngest sibling stumbles upon Didi’s story.
