My Joy Journey with Amy: A Love Story Through Life, Loss, Grief and Healing

by Mark D. Youngquist

There is no manual for how to handle a cancer diagnosis or for the journey through treatments.Neither for the grief many families experience when the outcome results in the loss of a loved one. Loss is a profound, life-changing event that has no end. I will not pretend to have any tidy answers for you on how to overcome grief or to provide a process for you to follow in your own grief journey. I simply do not have one, even for myself.

This book is about my joy journey with the love of my life, Amy. You probably are curious about the use of the word joy in describing this journey. Certainly, cancer is not a joyful event, but the word joy had special meaning and significance to Amy and, because of her example, to many others. After receiving her cancer diagnosis, Amy expressed very adamantly that she wanted to somehow find joy in our cancer journey as well. As you read this collection of reflections, I think you will come to understand the joy Amy sought. Throughout this book, I recall the many wonderful, joyful memories of my life with Amy as well as chronicle my own challenges and struggles through grief to healing.

While writing My Joy Journey with Amy was in many ways cathartic for me, my hope is that this book will inspire you to follow Amy’s example and find some way to seek joy each and every day.

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” —Henri J.M. Nouwen

216 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 8, 2025

Reviews

[Niel (Thelectorem) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a few memoirs related to individuals suffering from cancer and how they try to share the journey of diagnosis and healing with the world. When I started reading My Joy Journey with Amy by Mark Youngquist, I went with the same expectations, but this book truly stood out for the way it has been written. It is no surprise to know how painful and full of hurdles it is for an individual to live with cancer, and sometimes the process, treatment, drugs, and their tragic side effects. But in this book, the author, Mark, husband of Amy, already clarifies in the beginning that his writing will not revolve around the treatment and recovery but around his time, moments, and memories with Amy.

This book is a reflection of the author’s love for his wife, travel notes, his stories with friends and family, and most importantly, his grief after losing Amy that he still carries in his heart and is still processing. He keeps the tone light and full of life. His passion for Amy can be felt through the chapters where he recalls times with her, even while being at the brink of a breakdown. At certain parts, it’s very sweet whenever he talks about their children, their years of growing up, their achievements, and their bonding.

This book does not follow any linear storyline but is a collection of vignettes or random episodes, which I feel could have been much better if it was indeed one linear story. This might be my subjective opinion about the structure, but it does not affect the essence of the book in any way possible, which is present from the beginning to the end.

Overall, it does not shy away from delivering the message of love, loss, and grief — its process and the affirmation that even in the darkest of times, we can choose to hold on to the light that once kept us bright and embrace it.

[Clockwork Chapters · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you find your footing when someone you love is diagnosed with cancer? And when it’s your spouse.. your other half.. how do you face the unimaginable loss that follows?

My Joy Journey with Amy is one of those memoirs that reaches right into your heart. It’s written with so much love and sincerity that you can feel the deep bond Amy and Mark shared radiating through every page. This was such an emotional yet uplifting read soulful, honest, and full of grace.

Mark’s journey is truly inspiring. I loved how he found meaning again through hiking, taking cues from Forrest Gump to begin his journey. I found myself looking forward to his hike counts in each chapter, cheering him on from afar. Each section carried so much warmth its a reminder that even an ordinary life, when lived with love, becomes something extraordinary.

The inclusion of their photos and shared memories made it even more personal. I even watched some of the linked videos on YouTube, and they were deeply moving a beautiful extension of their story.

Words feel inadequate to capture how this memoir made me feel. It reminded me of the irreplaceable value of family, friendship, and unconditional love. Mark and Amy’s three-decade journey raising children, facing a devastating illness, and then learning to live with grief restored my faith in love and human resilience.

Though it’s heartbreaking at times, it’s also profoundly inspiring. Reading about how Mark found the courage to move forward with the support of loved ones made me feel both emotional and grateful.

Thank you to @mark.youngquist.author for sharing such a deeply personal story with us it was beautiful, hopeful, and truly inspiring.

[Harsh Tyagi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an intimate and deeply human account of love and loss. It is the epitome of the quiet courage it takes to keep living after grief. Mark D. Youngquist shares his story of life with Amy, his wife and soulmate, who faced cancer with a strength that illuminated everyone around her. Through a series of reflections, he recounts their moments of joy, along with the trials of treatment. We see the ways Amy’s unwavering choice to live with joy transformed not only their shared experience but also his healing after her passing.

Truly, this book feels like being gently guided through someone’s heart. Mark’s words are tender and transparent, carrying pain and gratitude. His storytelling is meant to remind us that love, in its purest form, can transcend even the heaviest sorrow.

We get to witness how he transformed his hobby of hiking and writing into a solace that kept him going. The joy journey does not promise healing as a destination. It reveals it as a process, one shaped by remembering and choosing joy again and again.

This book invites us to sit with your emotions and to believe that love, when remembered with gratitude, never truly fades. Pain of losing someone is the worst kind and this book teaches us to always remember the good times spent with the person. This book is both a tribute and a reminder. It reminds us that even through pain, joy can exist.

[Ag · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels wrong to call a book like this one BEAUTIFUL. But I’m still going to do it. The book is beautiful. In its raw pain, in its raw despair, and its raw joy – in its overall rawness.
The book is also sad, and it’s also… yeah, I don’t want to make a book review about myself, but it felt way too relatable when a sick person says she has "ruined everyone’s lives".
𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦, “𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.” 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳.
The world needs more people like that, who say that. Who says that while the other person is still alive. Everyone is open to expressing the same sentiment at a funeral, but rarely does anyone say that to the person who is dying and still alive.
Of course, you could label this book just “inspirational”, but that would be such a flat, and shallow, such a superficial look at it. It is real. And real is what the world needs more of. Raw, real, and beautiful, despite being sad and painful.

[Carrie Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with a plethora of emotions! Funny, inspirational, sad, motivating and of course, joy. The author bravely navigates the landscape of grief following the death of his wife, the love of his life Amy. The personal stories included make you feel all his emotions and grieve along side him, his family and his friends. His vulnerability is honest and real. My Joy Journey With Amy makes me want to be more present in my own life, not take things for granted, express my love for others and most importantly, to choose joy. I highly recommend this book!

[Booksandcoffeemx · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a tough read. I’ve lost both of my parents, so I know how heavy that grief can feel. It turned out to be a powerful and inspiring journey instead.

In this book, Mark shares their journey together from the moment of the diagnosis and how they faced it as a team. It captures moments of joy, laughter, and loss, serving as a reminder that even in grief, we can find joy in the small, meaningful moments.

This book is a beautiful, raw, and powerful tribute to life, love, and healing.

[Michelle Godard-Richer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an emotional read from start to finish as Mark takes us on his journey through grief and shares precious memories of his wife, Amy. The importance of family and finding joy in each day shines through, reminding me to look past the daily grind to enjoy my family and friends, both furry and human.

[Jacque W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartfelt true love story capturing life experiences through family devotion, humor, sorrow, love, loss, positivity and Joy for Life. An inside view of one persons struggles to find his purpose while grieving and finding Joy again.