Until I Say Good-Bye: My Year of Living with Joy
In June 2011, Susan Spencer-Wendel learned she had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)—Lou Gehrig's disease—an irreversible condition that systematically destroys the nerves that power the muscles. She was forty-four years old, with a devoted husband and three young children, and she had only one year of health remaining.
Susan decided to live that year with joy.
She quit her job as a journalist and spent time with her family. She built an outdoor meeting space for friends in her backyard. And she took seven trips with the seven most important people in her life. As her health declined, Susan journeyed to the Yukon, Hungary, the Bahamas, and Cyprus. She took her sons to swim with dolphins, and her teenage daughter, Marina, to Kleinfeld's bridal shop in New York City to see her for the first and last time in a wedding dress.
She also wrote this book. No longer able to walk or even to lift her arms, she tapped it out letter by letter on her iPhone using only her right thumb, the last finger still working.
However, Until I Say Good-Bye is not angry or bitter. It is sad in parts—how could it not be?—but it is filled with Susan's optimism, joie de vivre, and sense of humor. It is a book about life, not death. One that, like Susan, will make everyone smile.
From the Burger King parking lot where she cried after her diagnosis to a snowy hot spring near the Arctic Circle, from a hilarious family Christmas disaster to the decrepit monastery in eastern Cyprus where she rediscovered her heritage, Until I Say Good-Bye is not only Susan Spencer-Wendel's unforgettable gift to her loved ones—a heartfelt record of their final experiences together—but an offering to all of us: a reminder that "every day is better when it is lived with joy."
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- Patients -- Biography
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- Patients -- United States -- Biography
Biography & Autobiography
Electronic books
Health
Nonfiction
Patients
Spencer-Wendel, Susan
Spencer-Wendel, Susan -- Health
Women journalists
Women journalists -- Biography
9780062241467
9780062344212
Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 26673e99-157c-d2bd-e839-480569cd43bc |
---|---|
Grouping Title | until i say good bye my year of living with joy |
Grouping Author | susan spencer wendel |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2023-02-03 03:52:36AM |
Last Indexed | 2023-02-03 04:22:26AM |
Solr Fields
Witter, Bret
Witter, Bret
hoopla digital
Online OverDrive Collection
eBook
eBook
9780062249876
9780062344212
2014
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- Patients -- United States -- Biography
Electronic books
Spencer-Wendel, Susan -- Health
Women journalists -- Biography
Until I say good-bye : my year of living with joy [electronic resource] / Susan Spencer-Wendel with Bret Witter
Until I say good-bye : my year of living with joy [electronic resource] / Susan Spencer-Wendel, with Bret Witter
Biography & Autobiography
Electronic books
Health
Nonfiction
Patients
Spencer-Wendel, Susan
Women journalists
Solr Details Tables
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