Journeys of Heartache and Grace: Conversations and Life Lessons from Young People with Serious Illnesses

By Melody Chatelle and Melody Chatelle

Chatelle draws wise guidance from the mouths of children and provides straightforward answers to meet the challenge of finding comforting and helpful words to share with others. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1880292351
• ISBN13: 9781880292358
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Langmarc Publishing
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

a book for everyone!

This is a wonderful book for literally everyone. For me, making connections with human beings are fundamental to health and happiness in this life. Melody generously shares how to better connect and communicate with children, family members, treatment providers, friends...everyone. As adults, we often think we only learn from the "old" and the "wise". Not true! The young children and teens interviewed in her book say it like it is--for them. Each person with a terminal illness and their family member's can teach you something about life in the face of death. This book inspired me to remember: do what you love and love what you do AND be kind, be kind, be kind. Share this book with physicians, nurses, etc. and teach them that LISTENING GENEROUSLY is key to healing, no matter what the outcome is.

Life as a near-death experience

Reading Journeys of Heartache and Grace I was reminded of a song lyric written by Dr. John: "Life is a near-death experience." Thinking of life as a near-death experience means we can learn a lot about living when we take a close look at those who are facing the prospect of not living any more. And that's just what Chatelle uncovered in this work. She spent a great deal of time with 13 seriously ill young people and their caretakers. More than half of them died before she finished. But the insights she gleaned from these young people will live on. For them, the fragility of life had slapped them in the face at an early age, but it awakened in them perspectives we can all profit from--for example, the importance of learning how to relate to and support the people in our life. These thirteen stories touch every emotional nerve-ending as the reader learns about the fear, courage, humor, toughness, despair, and resilience exhibited by the subjects of this book. Sometimes the tears that well up are rooted in feelings of sorrow, but just as often they occur at moments when you feel a sense of awesome beauty. Each story concludes with some very practical lessons learned and there is also a glossary of preferred and non-preferred phrases used by healthy people when interacting with those who are seriously ill. Probably like a lot of people I wasn't eager to spend time reading about young people who were facing death, but I'm glad I did. My life will be different because of it.

Good information

Melody's book provides caretakers/families with the perspective they need to help those facing one of the hardest facts of life imaginable: a sick child or young person whose life journey will be cut short. She offers many perspectives, directly from the ones we want to help, on how to get past our own discomfort of not knowing what to say or do when we are with those with serious illnesses. It may not be easy; but, for those who know they want to "be there" for those they love in this situation, her book offers them many practical and needed answers. It was uplifting to realize how much joy there is in the little things of life, even for those who face their journey's end.

A must read for those who want their hearts to beat with renewed vigor

To be faced with death at such a young age, truly a horrible experience. "Journeys of Heartache and Grace: Conversations and Life Lessons From Young People With Serious Illnesses" is a collection of compelling stories from these children who have to push every bit of their bravery to keep their spirits up in such a terrible time. Their insights on the short life they have experienced is uplifting, making "Journeys of Heartache and Grace" a must read for those who want their hearts to beat with renewed vigor in their appreciation of life and what life has to offer, despite serious illnesses.