Determined to Matter: A Family Facing Inoperable Brain Cancer
O’Hara and her husband, Dan, try to make the best of a tragedy—their daughter’s death from brain cancer at age 13—by sharing her story. They start by quoting Shannon: My life is going to mean something to someone, somewhere. They saw a doctor seven days after their daughter first complained of a headache and quickly received the depressing, but correct, diagnosis. Readers with terminally ill children or those who know or work with such families will find the O’Haras’ e-mail messages to their loved ones and a year’s worth of blog entries inspiring on many levels. Some families may decide to chronicle their journey, too. On their darkest day, when their ice hockey–playing daughter died, on January 6, 2012, some 11,000 people viewed the O’Haras’ blog post. In her thoughtful afterword, Dr. Cynthia Wetmore of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital writes that the O’Haras are so dedicated to helping find a cure that they delivered Shannon’s tumor to her after her death. That donation, and this book, may help other families channel their grief in a positive way. --Karen Springen--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.