Publisher's Synopsis
How do you tell a child they are dying? That's hard to imagine much less having to actually live out such a task. I have read books that focused on the child as they battled terminal diseases and it is truly heartbreaking to read. I have sort of went in a different direction here I am focusing on the parent and how the events affect them. The story is about my battle of making decisions in a world I never dreamed would happen to me. The entire experience of having a child terminally ill affects everyone in the family, siblings, friends, relatives, and especially the parents. My sons and I were happy with where we were at in life when the tragedy hit then I was faced with decisions that "I thought" would never have to be made by me, yet there I was making them on a daily basis. There is no book, and there is no video to prepare a parent for this type of situation. One day everything is normal, and the next is a battlefield of emotions that can't be explained. I didn't think I could write a book about these events but as time went by it was something I felt led to do. For years I could not look at a child that was sick or watch commercials advertising cancer centers especially those that involved children. After Ben passed some parents wanted to discuss their experience, and all I wanted to do was blame God for what happened. I get personal in the book about the anger issues I faced and what all it cost me by doing so. It took years to heal, and even today I have to pray to understand my feelings. It is not easy to focus on life when the child you once knew is sitting in heaven. I know this day he is watching over me and there will be a time that we will be reunited with one another once again. The book is the type of book that will make you want to love your child a little more and think about what is in the world a little less. I had a parent to tell me after reading the book that she kisses her child every morning before her daughter gets on the school bus. Many things in life we take for granted, we think about the future more than experiencing the present which is right in front of us. I want to see people open up their heart to their children instead of one day realizing what all they missed in life. Ben my son who passed away has got a brother that was affected as well, the experience put stress on our relationship during the battle that 's hard to explain. This is where I say the disease affects more than just one person in the family. When a child is getting all of the attention then the other child we create negative attention to get others to notice them. I address this as well with David, my other son. I tried to look at every angle I could see so you could get the entire picture and how it affected the family, the community, and the close friends that surrounded us. I went back and discussed my past and what decisions I faced before Ben was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. The book is about more than cancer, my family also was in a major car accident, and we faced many challenges after the crash as well. I made several poor decisions at an early age which affected me the rest of my life. Then I focus on my drug addiction as well, at one point in life I depended on prescription drugs for survival. I hope you find the book touching and inspirational. "God Of The Storm" A teenagers battle with cancer.
