My Hourglass Just Flipped

By Arianna Holperin

As a junior at Valley High Jenna Whitten is an adept student. While she does well in all of her academics, she excels in English. Her love and passion for writing comes to a roadblock when she notices her penmanship start to falter. But a lack of clean pencraft will soon become the least of her worries. After a couple of instances where her dexterity fails to perform she is encouraged to seek medical consultation. Jenna's mother, Gail, questions if these occurrences are due to an injury of some sort, but that is not the case. Dr. Cooper diagnoses Jenna with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, with confirmation from several tests. As if that three letter acronym wasn't enough Dr. Cooper finishes the appointment with the unsettling fact of Jenna's new life expectancy. Jenna feels as if her hourglass just flipped, and each grain of sand that falls represents a day gone in her three-to-five-year count down. How will she cope as her days are stripped away from her? Luckily she has a strong support system and one that will grow as things progress. The Whitten household that includes both of Jenna's parents and her older brother, Ryan, take care of her physical and emotional needs as best they can. Along with her family, the next door neighbor who holds the title of "best friend" brings her own contribution to the table. Caitlyn's outgoing personality keeps Jenna's mood meter out of the red zone. As much as all of this is appreciated it isn't proven to be enough. Tess, an in-home caretaker is hired when Bill and Gail Whitten have to take on more hours at work. As Jenna's condition worsens first by needing walking assistance which leads to the inevitable of a wheelchair, Tess is assigned to help with un-self-manageable tasks such as showering. Jenna's love for English is restored when Tess, who also assists at school, takes on the role of "scribe" as well. Although Tess is a good addition to the team, Gail recognizes her daughter's mental instability. Recommended by Dr. Cooper Jenna starts seeing a therapist regularly. Lynelle provides encouragement through her genuine and focused approach in therapy. But after an unexpected negative session, Jenna makes an impulsive decision. The consequence of this has her introduced to group therapy. But could it be a blessing in disguise? ALS has taken away many of Jenna's physical abilities, but the one thing it can't take away is her teenage lust for boys. Will her relationship last when Charlie becomes more of an aid instead of a boyfriend? Maybe love prevails. Maybe the relationship has run its course. The couple ultimately decides its fate. But what will be Jenna's fate in the end? At the young age of 17, she is diagnosed with ALS. Through this journey, she will face many disabilities, but it will also bring her several healthy relationships. Like anyone else though, Jenna has to play the hand she was dealt and hope she'll win the jackpot in the end.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1798265761
• ISBN13: 9781798265765
• Release Date: March 2019
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"