When One Door Closes

by Susie Graham, Bill Graham, H. Thomas Saylor

Chances are you or someone you love will soon be faced with an unexpected illness, disability or loss. The choices you make have the power to open new doors for yourself and for others. Discover the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0976201216
• ISBN13: 9780976201212
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Three Dot Publications
• Length: 228 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Great Read!

I know Alex's Mom and Dad from the Make A Wish 300 mile bikeride, and Team Alex. I am also a physician and parent. This book is a motivator, a reminder about how to live, and an inspiration to us all. My life has changed already from reading it! Alex's wish goes on and keeps changing us. Read this book if you get the chance!!

What WILL matter, 100 years from today

As I type this, Frank Sinatra is singing (on his satellite radio "Channel 75") a song written specially for him, titled (What will it matter) "100 YEARS FROM TODAY." Coincidentally (or maybe not!) I just happened to be reading the final words of this deeply affecting book --- about a Michigan girl, 17-year-old Alexandra Graham and her brave but unsuccessful battle with cancer. All of us have had this same thought, haven't we? Will my life matter to people, loved ones or strangers, after I am gone? Contributing this book's brilliant final chapter, Michael Josephson offers us a resounding YES. With one little proviso! Consider his words (the best I ever read on this subject) and see if they speak to your heart too. ----- "Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned, or what you were owed. Your judgments, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't matter where you came from or which side of the tracks you lived on at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant. So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured? What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave. What will matter is not your success but your significance . . . not what you learned but what you taught. What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example. What will matter is not your competence but your character. Not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone. Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters. ----- As if to underline these words, this book (subtitled, "A Teen's Inspiring Journey and Living Legacy") culminates with this moving recollection from a Michigan woman, Dorothy Pitsch, who knew nothing of Alexandra Graham's courageous losing battle, until days after "Alex" died. Mrs. Pitsch writes: "My husband and I had five children and the two youngest were off to college. It was a time in my life when I was looking for something new and meaningful to do. "I prayed to God, `Show me some work that will make a difference in the world.' That's when I got involved in a Christian outreach program called WHEELS FOR THE WORLD. They gather used wheelchairs, repairing them and redistributing them to those in need around the world. They didn't have anyone in Michigan doing it, so I volunteered to see what I

Life is sometimes cruel

Life is sometimes cruel. "When One Door Closes: A Teen's Inspiring Journey and Living Legacy" is Susie and Bill Graham's reflections on their daughter's battle with cancer. Alexandra Graham was diagnosed at the age of sixteen and never let her spirit falter. She knew it was out of her hands and prayed for a miracle, a miracle which unfortunately did not come, but Alex did what she could to leave the world better than she found it. "When One Door Closes" is a touching and inspiring story, highly recommended to any parent facing a similarly tragic situation.

An inspiring story

When One Door Closes - which I was lucky enough to read pre-publication - is the honest recollection of a young teenager's battle with cancer as told by her family, friends and medical staff. The book, however, is not a depressing tale, but rather an inspiring journey about how Alex never viewed herself as a victim. To this day, the lessons that Alex taught people about her vigor for life, her positive outlook and her ability to confront adversity head-on still affects those that contributed to the book - and you can hear it in their stories. You don't need to have experienced a tragedy of this sort to relate to this book...you just need to have lived life to be inspired by it.

Alex's legacy

When One Door Closes illustrates that Alex's legacy continues with the lessons learned and good deeds that others have done in her honor. This book, which I was fortunate enough to read in pre-release, is a revealing look at not only Alex but of the people, be it family, friends, medical personnel or clergy, who were honored to know her, love her and learn from her. Each person interviewed became a stronger and more sensitive person because of Alex. There are great lessons in this book about friendship, love, respect and dignity. I only wish that this book never had to be written.