5 comments about My Story About Cancer.

1. HI ,i am cb aunt kathy and i just wanted to thank every one. who has bought his little book.. and still buying his book.
   thank you for letting cb last words be heard.
   to day is october the 28.2001 9pm
   today at this very time cb was home with his familey takeing his last breath cb died in his mothers arm's:( 3 years ago tonight).
   and i wanted the world to remember him and his familey tonight in their prayers.
   CB was a wonderful child and so very missed
   not a day don't go buy we dont think about him or a tear has not fell.
   i know it has been 3 years and his book just came out a year after his death .....but cb would have been tickled to know his book is still going strong!!!!!after all this time. i know he is smileing down on us all tonight. and it couldnt have done that with out you wonderfull people.
   may god bless you all as he did us with our angel cb.



2. I thought the book was such a insperation. this child was such a light in so many people lives, it seem:s to me c.b might not have lived long but what he did in the 13 years he touched so many people s lives and he took what years he had and lived it to it fullest. i am so glad that this small child didnt fill sorry for his self and he didnt want you to eather, the book was very moveing and so so touching,, i wish that ever body buy;s this book and even better they make a a movie of cb's life wouldnt that be great to show ever one what a gifted and loveing child he was.. lets here it for c.b. and thank god for a wonderfull child the book was a 100 in stars,,,, if i could have rated it my self . a fan of c.b.'s in kentucky



3. I LOVED THIS BOOK,,, IT WAS GREAT AND I WOULD TELL ANY ONE TO READ THIS BOOK,,,cb was a great kid.. he thought of ever body but his self and you dont find that much hear any more on this earth... ever body bye this book in his memory and keep cb dream alive for him and his familey.. this is all he wanted.. .. iwould give this book 10 stars,,,, he was agreat child,, this book is sad,, but it is real life ,, what this kid went threw. .. cb is truley an angel..... ever body get this book,,, and see for your self what a god sent he really was,,,



4. Just reading the reviews makes me cry, I can Look at the book without reading it and just cry. C.B.'s book brings faith into everyone's life, If u didn't know C.B. u just get the faith in his words, just imagine Being a close relative to him. C.B. was a gift from God he lightened everyone's day with His bright Beautiful smile. Caring for loved ones friends and strangers before himself That was C. I reccommend this book for everyone, You won't appreciate life till U read the Book and Take a trip down his road, the long struggle. Reading the book makes u feel like ur insides are tieing in knots, it makes u wanna cry most it does make cry. Even though he's gone I know the baby will watch over me and the rest of Family. And he probably will never know How Much I Love Him. And to everyone reading this, please don't take life for granite, love everyone and treat people equal. Well if nothing give respect. In Closing, C.B. I Love U.



5. Hello we are c.b.s parents ballard and faye wolford. we want to thank ever one that has bought cbs, book, and wrote a review. we are so proud to say cb was our son. he didnt live that long on earth, but what little he did he touched so many lives. the book was cbs, dream . he wanted ever one to no we arent promised ever day.. and we should live it to the fullest. and the book is not that big but he didnt live to finish it., so we did it for him., we know he would have been so very proud of it and how it sold, we dint think it would go as far as it did. we are just so thank full.. that ever one around the world thought so much of our baby... and it bring pieace to us all in our familey to know if his book our his faith helped some one else.out there, that was worth it all to us... and it made the book do its job. all cb ever wanted was to help some one else he never did think of his self and i no he is in heaven with our lord and god gave him his wings. i know we cant tell you face to face thank you for all that ever one did and for buying the book.. and i hope god bless ever one of you around the world..... thank you so much you will never no what it meant to us and the rest of his familey.. may god bless you all and thank you so much cbs parents ballard and faye wolford and his brother eddie ,,,,and if you wondering eddie is doing alot better ...

No comments about Mental Illness/Spiritual Warfare: Two Sides to the Same Coin.

1 comments about Living Without Limits.

1. Every so often a book comes along that is so profoundly inspirational that it makes you want to be a better person, a book that touches you so deeply that you really believe you can actually become that person hidden beneath fear, procrastination, and the stress of daily life. Living Without Limits is definitely one of those books!
   
   Living Without Limits takes a candid look at the things that hold us back from achieving our goals in life. Often we find our dreams slipping away simply because we convince ourselves that we could never sustain the effort to reach our goals, because we keep saying I'll start working on that tomorrow, because we let stress beat us down, or because we really don't make any sort of plan to reach our goals. This book helps the reader figure out what aspects are keeping them from being all that they could be and how to gradually adjust their attitudes and lives to become more healthy, nurturing, and fulfilling.
   
   No wonder the author, Judy Siegle, is a highly sought after professional speaker. That she not only teaches her methods but lives by them (including earning her graduate degree in Social Work; participating in the Paralympics in Atlanta in 1996 and in Sydney in 2000, and becoming a Community Relations Specialist for MeritCare Heath System), just adds strength and authenticity to the author's message.

1 comments about Christina's World.

1. This book was very good. It should be read by foster parents, as well as anyone who loves children, caretakers, parents and even grandparents. This story is about an elderly couple who had raised over 50 foster children that they later adopted, as well as 3 of thier own. They are fighting for Christina, a young girl they were fostering since she was an infant. It will make you mad how the Department of social services treated the family. It's hard ot find a nice family who won't abuse foster children, but it appears as though they don't do any justice for the good parents out there either. This book is a very touching book, it even mentions relaigion, and describes the prayer that Mrs. Lubben says each day., She feels Godis on her side and continues to keep faith throughout the story. The book is wonderful. I'd definitely recommend it. Matter of fact, I'm going to read it again.
   Happy reading!!!!!!!!!

2 comments about Terri's Story: The Court-Ordered Death of an American Woman.

1. I have read this book last month. A friend lent me her copy but I had to give it back, so I just purchased one of my own to re-read since it contains valuable information. It is an insightful read that every person shopuld at least read once in their lifetime (like very soon!). Everyone at Word On Wheels dot org has read it since it came out, and they have said the same as I. She is a great author.



2. I have followed the Terri Schiavo story for many years and find this book one of the most well written accounts. This is an excellent book and I would recommend it. I am rating this book 5 stars.

1 comments about Jenessa's Journey.

1. Debbie Sherman does a superb job of sharing with us her challenges and blessings of discovering that Jenessa has Downs syndrome and a major heart defect. As an Ob Gyn physician, I am delighted that Debbie has gone to this effort, so that others will benefit from their experiences. Each step along they way, Debbie describes her experiences, and educates us, and this will be a tremendous help to others! I plan to tell all of my colleagues about this book which will serve as a tremendous resource. Thank you!

2 comments about Little Voices : A True Paranoid Schizophrenic Adventure.

1. When I saw my friends recently reading new books like Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code or Harry Potter books, I wondered what the fuss was all about. They were all works of fiction that were cheap imitations. After all, my mum gave me a copy of Little Voices, and this book is the Real McCoy! And by Jove! What a guide! While America loses its way, it refuses to ask for directions, splits itself like a pea-nut and denies that the image on the mirror is itself. Seeing the humour in all this is the best part, and that's where Little Voices shines!



2. I am a man with schizoaffective dissorder and it's similar to what the author of this book has. I liked it mainly because it is his voice and from his point of view. Most of the books about schizophrenia out there are from a third person or a affected female. The first part of the book is the best. Very real in his discription. I'm on Zyprexa and I wish the author would take something also because he still seems somewhat lost. I wish the author luck and it has inspired me to write down things that I experianced. It's a good read, probably not the best, but I belive it shows an authentic view of a schizophrenic.

5 comments about Lori's Miracle.

1. As a busy mother of two young children, and at present 9 months pregnant, I seldom have the time or energy to read novels. After hearing about this book, I decided to make time. I am so glad that I did! Once I opened the book, I could not put it down. The story is about Lori, the baby who can only be described as "God's baby" as John refers to her. She had multiple odds against her, yet miraculously through her many painful surgeries and obstacles continues to shine her bright smile at the world. John's insight into his family's journey is both heartwrenching and inspirational. He describes a world of uncertainty about his daughters survival, describing treatments and medical interventions that are the things of parents nightmares, yet all the while he does so with dignity and strength. I have great admiration for Johns talent as an author and a parent. Thank you for sharing your story, I wish your family well.



2. I knew I wanted to read this book when I read the synopsis. It surpassed my expectations. Once I started to read it, I couldn't put it down. I have never been more touched by a story. Lori is a special child, who was fortunate enough to be born to special parents.

   Lori was never expected to live and yet she defied all the odds. She endured operations and setbacks that were unbelieveable. Yet, she continued to survive and maintain her smile and enjoy the simple things in life.

   This is a beautifully written story of adversity, hope, and most of all - love. It allows the reader into the world of pediatric hospitals and neonatal units that see miracles and heartbreak on a daily basis. I found it to be so inspirational, especially since it was written from a man's point of view. I highly recommend this book.




3. I read Lori's Miracle and was impressed by the telling of a story that seemed to be about a family with a child who had medical problem after medical problem and how they were able to cope with it all. But I learned towards the end of the book that this was only the custodial type part of the telling. The real miracle was in how this child has come to be the miracle in the family's life because of the lessons they have learned from her. Lori is retarded and the lessons she has taught the family have impacted their lives more than anything they could have learned in a book or been instructed about by learned scholars. Lori teaches what God wants us all to know: to listen to each other and love and attend to one other. This is what I, too, learned from John White's excellent telling of Lori's Miracle. This book will move the reader to tears and give them something so profoundly simple to take away from it that I believe my life has been truly blessed because I chose to read it.



4. Lori's Miracle, the new novel by John L. White is a tender and touching story of a little girl named Lori who defied the expectations of modern medicine and physicians, and lived! This book is "absolutely wonderfull," and I dare anyone to read it.You will never look at life the same way again.



5. John White's book is a deeply moving story that chronicles the life and death experiences revolving around the birth and early life of Lori, God's special child.

   Lori was not supposed to make it but when medicine and God combine their best efforts, Lori lives. However, it is not to a life of ease. It is a life spent in neo-natal nurseries and recovery rooms where her parents walk through the pain and the recovery with their little one. Ultimately they learn that the miracle of Lori is not her survival but that she is the celebration of the Divine in the least of us.

   John says of Lori: "In her simplicity...[she] embodies the music of the universe. In her silence can be heard the voice of God (p. 272).

   Included in the epilogue is a list of things that a couple who finds themselves parents to a special child can do to support each other as well as advice to people who need to know the proper response to special children.

   If you can only buy one book this year, make it _Lori's Miracle_ by John White.

5 comments about Karen.

1. I've read some reviews and have to repeat what someone else has pointed out: Readers need to keep in mind that this stuff happened in the 40's and 50's. You can't criticize the smoking, because at that time, people didn't know smoking around kids was harmful. Smoking was a very normal activity for many adults. If Marie Killilea had known that smoking might be contributing to her miscarriages and ill health of her kids, I'm sure she would have stopped. People didn't know.
   
   You can't criticize Karen's parents for not creating a cerebral-palsy playgroup for her, because they were the groundbreakers in treating cerebral palsied kids like "normal" kids. They were flying by the seat of their pants. My guess would be that they decided they should raise Karen "normally," and having her play a lot with other handicapped kids would not have seemed "normal"--after all, what they were fighting were doctors and other professionals who recommended placing Karen permanently in an institution FILLED with other handicapped people. This book is not a recent book and it has to be read in the historical context. I mean, schools were still segregated when Karen was born. Geez.
   
   I read this book and "With Love From Karen" when I was in about fifth and sixth grade, after my mother gave me "Wren." Honestly, I never thought much about the cerebral-palsy side of the books. I was an only child, I loved animals, and I thought that Karen was lucky to live in her family. The cerebral palsy was kind of a side issue for me. We didn't go to church, and I didn't understand a lot of the Catholic stuff either, but I loved that the family sounded so close.
   
   I think the concern someone posted about publishing this book when Karen was still young has some validity, but--her mom was desperately trying to draw attention to the fact that handicapped kids were okay. She succeeded in a huge way, through this book. She influenced a generation of people, people who would have looked at her daughter strangely if they ever met her, due to her handicap, but, instead, looked at Karen as practically an angel, because they felt they knew her through this book. And after all, when Marie wrote the book, she would have had no idea that it would end up being in print for decades and read all over the world, and that Karen would still be hounded by fans in 2007 (which apparently she is, when they can track her down).
   
   I guess what I'm saying is, before anyone criticizes Karen's mom, they ought to keep in mind that their opinions about what's right and wrong for handicapped kids were probably shaped by Karen's mom, whether they realize it or not. Our whole society was influenced by "Karen." Yeah, everyone knows you don't keep a kid with cerebral palsy hidden in the basement of your house--but hey, America didn't always know that.
   
   I just found a website where I read that Gloria's two daughters, ages 9 and 7 at the time, were killed in a house fire. I actually cried over this. Although of course I never met any of these people, they felt like my family when I was a kid.



2. I am 49 now and read this book when I was about 8 years old. (Why a book with curse words was available in the Weekly Reader Book Club for little children to read, I'll never know.) I have never dwelt on any of the negatives that readers are commenting about, with the one exception of the smoking. I do not have CP, but as a child I knew something about me was different. I was premature, late learning to walk, and the slowest runner of all the children - no matter how hard I tried to run faster or how much I loved to run. I had frequent stomachaches & got sick with sinus/allergy/URI's/dehydration regularly every 3 months or so. I almost died at least twice. My ankles turned or twisted very easily. I hated being crowded or hearing loud noises. My legs hurt often, & if I fell on one of my kneecaps, it felt broken because the pain was so horrible. The pediatrician said this was "growing pains", but it wasn't. At the age of 28, I learned that I had "fibrositis", now called Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS or CFIDS). This incurable chronic disease - an autoimmune, muscle, pain, allergy/sinus, urinary, colon, and neurological/cognitive disorder in one - can be disabling. In fact, it has been compared to mild cases of spastic CP. Microscopic tears that grew into huge tears (caused by the FMS) made me need to have major reconstructive surgery of my right knee at 13 and my left knee at 24. So reading about Karen's struggles from a young age helped me to also conquer challenges that my own disability has brought into my life. I presently work a full-time job as an administrative assistant for a global company. I love Big Marie's different writing style. Like today's very popular cable show about the Roloffs of Roloff Farm in Oregon (married dwarves who have 4 children, only one of which is a dwarf), who have the problems and disagreements every family has but struggle as a team to make it in an oversized world, the Killileas were a normal family dealing with a precious child who was labeled "abnormal". I loved that they turned the living room into a physical therapy room and invited the "normal" kids over to watch and join in the fun. I loved that there were gouges in the furniture where Karen had vacuumed, and they didn't care. I loved that Karen was not a little saint - she was human, as proved by the stunts she made her little brother Rory carry out, and the "female dog" term she used to get rid of an obnoxious stranger who invited himself into their house. I loved that Gloria had the maturity, discipline and self-control to wait 7 years for Russ, her true love. I'm not Catholic, but I loved that they regularly went to Mass and had spiritual insights. I loved that they taught Karen to take part in what physical activities she could, such as swimming and horse riding. I loved that Karen dealt with severe pain every day (as I do) and HATE that they put that spreader between her legs at night to stretch her leg muscles - like torture! In short, the best part of "Karen" is that she never limited herself by listening to what doctors and therapists told her she could never do, but she surpassed all their limitations and expectations by victories like walking, writing by hand, and getting up & down off of chairs alone. I'm still inspired by this book today.



3. I have read "Karen" a number of times since my teen years, though prior to purchasing the book, it had been at least 10 years since my last reading. This story of a girl born in 1940 with cerebral palsy -- and all the trials, tribulations, and stigma that went along with its diagnosis, treatment, and daily living at that time -- remains intriguing and engaging.
   
   More than simply an eye-opening account of life with a severely disabled child, "Karen" is a window into another era, even another culture (the story takes place in the well-to-do suburbs north of New York City). The Killilea's were a devoutly Catholic Irish-American family. This is before Vatican II and the changes it brought to the Mass and to the church itself. Smoking was socially acceptable, its health risks not well-consdidered. These things all play into the story.
   
   I feel compelled to address Marie's (author/narrator) comment, during her husband Jiimmy's serious illness, that she would sacrifice her children. I believe other reveiwers have mis-interpreted her remark. She wasn't minimizing her love for her children; she was expressing her extraordinary love and devotion to her husband. Again, remember that the book was written in 1952 and should not be judged as if it had been written in 2006. Language, customs, beliefs, and even our culture were significantly different.
   
   In summary, "Karen" is a fascinating story. Should you take everything in it at face value? No, of course not. Is it worth reading? Absolutely, if not for the day-to-day details of life with cerebral palsy, then for the window into life in suburbia in the early 1950's.
   
   It is also worth noting that Marie Killilea was instrumental in founding United Cerebral Palsy, the organization that still advocates for and supports the cerebral palsied today.



4. I read this the first time as an adult. I had asked a librarian if she could recommend a good heartwarming book, and she insisted this was what I needed to read. It instantly became one of my all time favorites. The main reason I wanted to review it here, is I notice so many fellow readers complaining about the mother's approach to her daughter's disability, etc, and I want to point out,when Karen was born, the world was a different place entirely. 'Political correctness' had not been coined yet.
   Smoking was not recognized as the evil we now think of; in fact, it was common for doctor's to smoke in their offices with their patients. Mother's were not told to quit smoking because they were pregnant. I could go on, but my point is, for the time in our history when Karen was a child, there was no Disability Rights Act. The idea to treat a disabled child with dignity and equal rights were sadly un-common, and this is not the fault of Karen's family. Like all of us, they did the best they could with what they knew how to do.
   I think all this P.C. talk is taking away from the underlying feeling of the book. It is a triumph of the human spirit and I see that so clearly and am left feeling good about the strength and courage inside of us that we don't know is there, unless we are forced to summon it, or learn about someone like Karen, who had no choice but to live life the best she could.
   I am not condoning smoking or other bad choices mentioned in the book. I am simply attempting to suggest that if that is all you are looking at, you are missing the boat.
   This is the kind of book that I love most; it makes me laugh and cry and most of all, it is the kind of story that makes me realize how small most of my problems are.
   It brings to mind other humbling people such as Helen Keller. It may not be an equal comparison, but the feeling I derive from it is the same.



5. I picked up this book in a library toss bin recently and foolishly (not realizing it was out of print) left it on the airplane for the next passenger requiring inspiration. The many 5-star reviews should give an objective reader a clue as to the type of book this is, and the type of writer Killilea was--and that does NOT mean Jane Austen. Because I am something of a 3-star Sally in my reviews, I must add that my usual complaints (poor writing, confusing organization, insufficient editing) are not my reasons for faulting this book. It is fairly well-written (back when editors were editors!), with the insousiance that pervades works by well-fed, country club ladies of the 1950's (Jean Kerr comes to mind) who bore none of the crosses feminism would later burn figuatively on their expansive front lawns.
   
   My beef about this book--please do NOT send me nasty e-mails!--is that I did not find any of the characters, and I include the title character and the author, particularly appealing. As to Karen herself, she was a little girl undergoing a particular education regimen. It was rigorous and stressful, and, being a little girl who, like most little girls, wanted desperately to please those whom she loves, she survived it. But living to tell the tale is not the same as heroism, though nowadays you would never know it, and if Oprah were interviewing Homer about Troy, we'd be listening to the story of Aeneas rather than Hector. I doubt that Killilea's intention was to raise her daughter to a pinnacle, though, and anyone who views the child's story as a triumph over adversity is misreading the book. I believe that Killilea's point was that Karen's story could be ANY child's story, given the same set of favorable circumstances.
   
   So, having attempted to view the author's intentions in a light most sympathetic to me, I sadly must now add that I really didn't like the author ONE BIT. She represents a type of unquestioning, anti-intellectual, rigid Catholicism that makes it hard for other Catholics to be Catholic. Since she flaunts her Irishness, I feel free to whack the ball back into that court by saying that the Italians where I grew up in New York thought people like the Killileas were crazy. I do not know how many Roman Catholics she and her ilk have caused to lapse over the decades; any healthy religion has a spectrum of levels of dogmatism, but this particular group seemed to dominate the Church in New York for a long time (if you think I lie, check the list of bishops in the NYC archdiocese even now).
   
   But I should not air this dirty laundry online! And I should not let my intellectual response to the book be colored by the fact that I now am sojourning in a city that gives full testament to the Catholic Church's exhuberance, wackiness, theological depth, and sensual excess. Killilea was probably an above-average product of her isolated little smoke-filled (literally as well as figuratively!) caucasion world. (I normally make my home in the Baltimore/Washington area, and found quite enlightening her descriptions of the people of color who carried the Killilea luggage on the way to Johns Hopkins Hospital).
   
   Speaking of smoke-filled: Amen to the reviewers who point out the frightening excess of tobacco-dependence. I do believe there was a point in the book in which the author and her husband sit around smoking in the same room where lay their daughter Marie, at that very moment suffering from some type of long-term lung failure. Excuse me? Is there a doctor in the house? (No, wait; the doctors were the ones offering cigarettes.) Maybe just someone with an inquiring mind? (See, it's getting back to the Catholic thing . . . . )

1 comments about The Radical Lives of Helen Keller (The History of Disability).

1. Kim Nielsen's Radical Lives Of Helen Keller is part of the New York University Press "The History of Disability" series and provides a powerful social, political and literary biography of Helen Keller's life based on research into both literary sources and FBI files and military intelligence. The result is an unusual focus on Keller's involvement in disability rights and activism a focus which has been lost in other concentrations on her blindness and literary achievements. Radical Lives thus is an important, essential guide for any who would receive a well-rounded survey of her life.