 |
The late President John F. Kennedy said it so eloquently in March 1962,
about U.S. military personnel engaged in battle in Vietnam: “There is
always inequity in life….Life is unfair.” This statesmanlike quote is
profoundly relevant, to author Redding’s courage in persevering in the
face of certain tragedy and despair.
Redding’s heart wrenching story opens with the author’s parents having
to painfully accept the shocking diagnosis that their beloved daughter
is stricken with a rare genetic disorder clinically known as
Neurofibromatosis (NF)–which manifests itself as tumors (typically
non-cancerous) growing in the nervous system. This disorder is
accompanied with numerous bumps on the skin.
Redding’s determination to conquer her debilitating condition is
relative to the unconditional love of her family, including Redding’s
mom, Aunt Carol, and, of course, medically speaking–Dr. Levy–keeping
in mind that the author was only a child when diagnosed with NF. Redding
endures ridicule from classmates while attending John Welsh Elementary.
Meeting Jermaine, who eventually would become her husband, changes
Redding’s life forever in that the couple have two children (Havana and
Jalen)–and neither child develops NF, despite the high risk of Redding
passing on NF to her children. However, Redding describes “one of the
most devastating times in my life” when husband Jermaine dies from a
severe form of lupus.
After Jermaine’s death, Redding is torn between keeping her emotions in
check or reaching out to her family to ease her journey of grieving
for her husband. She decides to seek the support of her family as well
as a therapist. Redding relies on God and faith to get her through her
battle with NF as well as Jermaine’s death. The author notes that NF
affects men, women, children, the elderly, all ages, and all ethnic
backgrounds.
RECOMMENDED by the US REVIEW