About the Book

Elena Desserich dreamed of becoming a teacher.  Although her time on this earth was far too short to fulfill her dream, she left behind an enlightening lesson plan on life.  Wise beyond her years, Elena never stopped teaching those around her to appreciate the miracle of everyday living even as the innocent six-year-old battled a rare form of brain cancer. 

Through personal and candid journal entries written as a remembrance for Elena's younger sister, Brooke and Keith Desserich share their emotional journey as they negotiated their contradictory impulses to fight Elena's cancer at all costs and realized the inevitable outcome.  Page by page, this journal is a reminder to parents everywhere to appreciate and savor every precious moment they have with their own children. 

Notes Left Behind tells a story of humility and inspiration.  From the time of her diagnosis, Elena accomplished a truly spectacular series of wishes, big and small, that she alone created, from riding in a horse-drawn carriage to painting a masterpiece that would hang in an art museum.  Her life motivated the creation of the foundation that today helps children everywhere in their fight against cancer. 

Included in the pages of this book are Elena's private messages that she secretly hid around her home, knowing her family would find them when she was gone.  These notes show us how even during the darker moments of life, it is possible to find hope and encouragement through selfless love. 

HarperCollins Reader

When you purchase e-books from HarperCollins, you can read it on our HarperCollins Reader App that is available on your iPhone/iPad, Android or Kindle Fire. 

We encourage you to use the HC Reader App since it supports our type of e-book files and you may have some trouble with a different reader app. 

Instructions

Please make sure you have a HarperCollins Account.  If you purchase/have purchased an e-book from HarperCollins, this is your account login and password.  Otherwise, please click here to register. 

Download the HC Reader App on iPhone/iPad, Android or Kindle Fire and sign in with your HarperCollins account (your username is an e-mail address).  Please note that Kindle Fire users must edit their settings (Settings < Device) to allow installation of apps in order to download the HC Reader App.  This App is not available in the Amazon App Store.