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Breath Taking
"A master class in how to be a person." --Joanna Rakoff, bestselling author of My Salinger Year
"Astonishing...one of the most moving memoirs I've read." --Caroline Leavitt, best-selling author of With or Without You and Days of Wonder.
In Breath A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes, Jessica Fein takes readers on a powerful journey through the profound joys and heart-wrenching challenges of love and loss. At the tender age of five, Jessica's daughter Dalia is diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease, casting a shadow of uncertainty over the family’s life. Inspired by Dalia's unyielding spirit and irrepressible zest for life, Jessica and her family embark on a remarkable odyssey of love, resilience, and self-discovery.
From the initial shock of diagnosis to the relentless battles against the ravages of disease, Jessica navigates the complexities of parenthood with unwavering courage and love. As each breath becomes a precious act of defiance against fate, Jessica learns to embrace the present moment with fierce determination, finding solace in the small joys that illuminate even the darkest of days.
But Breath Taking is more than a story of loss and grief; it's a testament to the indomitable human spirit and the transformative power of love. Through laughter and tears, Jessica discovers the delicate balance between advocacy and acceptance, vulnerability and strength. Along the way, she confronts her deepest fears, finds unexpected allies, and discovers the resilience of the human heart.
With poignant insights and unflinching honesty, Jessica's narrative transcends the boundaries of tragedy to offer a beacon of hope for anyone facing life's most daunting challenges. Breath Taking is a masterclass in resilience, a testament to the enduring power of love, and a celebration of the extraordinary courage found in ordinary moments.
"More than an honest and humorous memoir, Breath Taking can be the guide star so many seek when life hands them more than they ever imagined they could endure." --Daniel DeFabio, rare disease filmmaker and Co-founder of The Disorder Channel
“A story of relentless heartbreak met with wit, strength, and resilience.” –Jennifer Weisel Bailey, ELLE Magazine
"Astonishing...one of the most moving memoirs I've read." --Caroline Leavitt, best-selling author of With or Without You and Days of Wonder.
In Breath A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes, Jessica Fein takes readers on a powerful journey through the profound joys and heart-wrenching challenges of love and loss. At the tender age of five, Jessica's daughter Dalia is diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease, casting a shadow of uncertainty over the family’s life. Inspired by Dalia's unyielding spirit and irrepressible zest for life, Jessica and her family embark on a remarkable odyssey of love, resilience, and self-discovery.
From the initial shock of diagnosis to the relentless battles against the ravages of disease, Jessica navigates the complexities of parenthood with unwavering courage and love. As each breath becomes a precious act of defiance against fate, Jessica learns to embrace the present moment with fierce determination, finding solace in the small joys that illuminate even the darkest of days.
But Breath Taking is more than a story of loss and grief; it's a testament to the indomitable human spirit and the transformative power of love. Through laughter and tears, Jessica discovers the delicate balance between advocacy and acceptance, vulnerability and strength. Along the way, she confronts her deepest fears, finds unexpected allies, and discovers the resilience of the human heart.
With poignant insights and unflinching honesty, Jessica's narrative transcends the boundaries of tragedy to offer a beacon of hope for anyone facing life's most daunting challenges. Breath Taking is a masterclass in resilience, a testament to the enduring power of love, and a celebration of the extraordinary courage found in ordinary moments.
"More than an honest and humorous memoir, Breath Taking can be the guide star so many seek when life hands them more than they ever imagined they could endure." --Daniel DeFabio, rare disease filmmaker and Co-founder of The Disorder Channel
“A story of relentless heartbreak met with wit, strength, and resilience.” –Jennifer Weisel Bailey, ELLE Magazine
235 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 7, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 5, 2025
An Inspiring Read!
This is the story of an ordinary family made up of mom, dad, 3 kids, and a dog raising an extraordinary child. A daughter they named Dalia. All 3 of the children were adopted at a young age and all seemed healthy. Until the parents began noticing something wasn't quite "normal" with Dalia. She wasn't developing along the same pathway as her two big brothers or any of the other kids they knew. And she fell an awful lot! It turned out Dalia had a very rare disease affecting the mitochondria which would ultimately cause her to lose the skills and abilities she did have. Ultimately, it would take her life. But Dalia faced every day as if it were an exciting adventure, a gift. When she lost her mobility, she danced using her shoulders. When she could no longer eat and needed tube feedings, she learned to bake with assistance and found sheer delight in presenting her family with chocolate chip cookie!
Dalia's family included her in everything. She wasn't left to stay in her hospital bed up in her room. The family took her on walks, threw parties, went to fireworks, gave her a bat mitzvah and more. Her siblings doted on her and her parents were fierce advocates. Perhaps not such an ordinary family after all -- at least in some ways.
I found the book to be good, interesting and easy to understand though sometimes it seemed rather predictable once Dalia was diagnosed and the reader learns the illness is progressive and would take her life. I don't mean that as an insult by any means! It's just that feeling as you read where you're waiting for "the other shoe to drop" yet hoping it never does and then on the other hand wanting things to move forward so healing can begin. But what if healing never comes -- or at least, not in the ways we expect or yearn for? Then what?
Dalia and her family will not soon be forgotten!
This is the story of an ordinary family made up of mom, dad, 3 kids, and a dog raising an extraordinary child. A daughter they named Dalia. All 3 of the children were adopted at a young age and all seemed healthy. Until the parents began noticing something wasn't quite "normal" with Dalia. She wasn't developing along the same pathway as her two big brothers or any of the other kids they knew. And she fell an awful lot! It turned out Dalia had a very rare disease affecting the mitochondria which would ultimately cause her to lose the skills and abilities she did have. Ultimately, it would take her life. But Dalia faced every day as if it were an exciting adventure, a gift. When she lost her mobility, she danced using her shoulders. When she could no longer eat and needed tube feedings, she learned to bake with assistance and found sheer delight in presenting her family with chocolate chip cookie!
Dalia's family included her in everything. She wasn't left to stay in her hospital bed up in her room. The family took her on walks, threw parties, went to fireworks, gave her a bat mitzvah and more. Her siblings doted on her and her parents were fierce advocates. Perhaps not such an ordinary family after all -- at least in some ways.
I found the book to be good, interesting and easy to understand though sometimes it seemed rather predictable once Dalia was diagnosed and the reader learns the illness is progressive and would take her life. I don't mean that as an insult by any means! It's just that feeling as you read where you're waiting for "the other shoe to drop" yet hoping it never does and then on the other hand wanting things to move forward so healing can begin. But what if healing never comes -- or at least, not in the ways we expect or yearn for? Then what?
Dalia and her family will not soon be forgotten!
September 19, 2025
Thank you, Jessica
What an incredible, heartbreaking but ultimately joyful, life affirming book. Author Jessica's brutally honest recounting of her emotions put me right in the story, her feelings and struggles palpable.
But the biggest takeaway, the true gift, is the joy to be found despite the pain. Dalia's gift and lesson to us all.
What an incredible, heartbreaking but ultimately joyful, life affirming book. Author Jessica's brutally honest recounting of her emotions put me right in the story, her feelings and struggles palpable.
But the biggest takeaway, the true gift, is the joy to be found despite the pain. Dalia's gift and lesson to us all.
November 8, 2024
3.75/5 well done, moving story. But I did wish she’d stopped a little more along the way, like she does at the end — I was interested to hear more about how she coped with all her grief, specifically, and sometimes it felt like she was rushing to get everything in.
October 12, 2024
Hard won perspective
This book was gifted to me with the caveat it was a " hard story, but inspiring. " Indeed it is, but still an important book to read. Perspective hard won.
This book was gifted to me with the caveat it was a " hard story, but inspiring. " Indeed it is, but still an important book to read. Perspective hard won.
December 26, 2024
Moving and inspiring
Jessica Fein takes us inside the world of special needs children in a way I’ve never experienced. It’s an emotional, honest, loving picture of lived experience.
Jessica Fein takes us inside the world of special needs children in a way I’ve never experienced. It’s an emotional, honest, loving picture of lived experience.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews