One Hundred and Twenty-Six Days: The Unthinkable Journey

by Holly Richard

One Hundred and Twenty-Six Days is a deeply emotional, nonfiction account by Author Holly Richard about how life can radically change in the blink of an eye. The book throws you onto an unthinkable path as the family is ambushed and violently hurled onto the cancer battlefield. What follows is nothing anyone could ever imagine. The author’s unfathomable journey is translated to the reader in devastating detail.

Strap in and prepare to ride on this family’s emotional rollercoaster that blasts you through a series of chapters where it is hard to catch your breath as you whip through the darkest of tunnels at lightning speed. Glimpses of light and hope follow, but then the author tosses the reader into an unrecognizable world.

At a critical juncture, the story becomes reflective as the author looks back on events and shares insights and a deeper self-examination of how to somehow survive a broken heart. Holly challenges her faith and struggles with isolation and loneliness as she desperately searches for truth and the tools to endure. In the last section, she offers guidance and comfort for others who might find themselves walking the beaten path of bends and curves that is brutally painful and exhausting yet necessary in order to somehow move forward.

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2021

Reviews

[MH Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, how I wish this book was available a few years ago when I first met brain cancer through my dear friend! My friend’s tumor moved fast like the author, Holly Richard, shares in the horror of her son, Derek’s, heartbreaking ordeal. There was bright hope with my friend’s ordeal, yet it suddenly imploded and ended leaving a trail of crushed survivors. I learned so much about the GBM monster from this book. Most importantly, I experienced more clearly what it was like on the front row reserved for immediate family and I gained insight into resources available to support the battle. I hope never to go through it with anyone again, but given the growing statistics, there very likely may be a next time for many. I appreciate this author’s willingness to lay open the most intimate details of her ordeal in order to help others see how similar/different this dreadful assault plays out with each body it attacks and that there is a resource network for families and friends. I especially appreciate the honest and candid guidance Richard provides in her list of do’s and don’ts for our efforts to be present and supportive for survivors, whether they be someone we love dearly, a friend whom we truly care about, or an acquaintance whose story we are learning. We all have a duty to be sensitive and supportive, but few of us really know quite how to best do that. Even those who are said to be good with words tend to bumble around and screw up badly in this dangerous territory. Society must be informed with accurate information and this book provides that preparation, insight, understanding, and compassion about what those touched by brain cancer experience and how we can best be present for them. Once that monster touches near you, it is amazing what you learn about the hidden incidence in your personal circle of family and friends. A very worthwhile read for all of us. I am grateful for it.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In One Hundred And Twenty-Six Days, The Unthinkable Journey, Holly Richard recounts with detailed honesty the devastating diagnosis and attempted treatment of her beloved son’s brain cancer. Losing a child is a parent’s worst nightmare, and Holly shares her deepest emotions, questions and thoughts while in the depths of grief. The ultimate goal is to bring attention to the need for further research of glioblastoma and effective treatment options.

Holly’s dedication to being beside Derek during every step of his journey is chronicled in the nearly day by day recounting of his surgeries and radiation. She expresses sincere gratitude for the medical community and all of the efforts to combat the cancer, but there is also desperate frustration about the physical and emotional results of treatment itself, limited options and the need for more research and funding.

Holly shares the path of her own survival after Derek’s death, asking questions that have no just answers. She seeks professional counseling and finds an outlet for her grief in writing. She makes connections with other parents who have experienced the loss of a child.

This is not an easy read, but there is a balance of love, joy and even humor in some of Holly’s stories about her experiences as a young mom and as a proud parent of an Army veteran. She offers honest suggestions of what to do and say, and what not to do and say, to others who experience such a profound loss.

The path to moving forward is braced by Holly’s completely supportive husband, her loving relationship with her daughter and a caring community of friends and counselors. And moving forward is the path of living.

[Sandra Hedrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping memoir about a Mother’s love and the horror of losing her only son to the ravages of Glia Blastoma. Holly takes you through the highs and lows and hopes and ultimate agony of watching her only son die, so young, so full of promise. She also offers resources and support group information for anyone who is grieving. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand how to support others who have experienced death of a child, family member, or close friend or to those who are grieving themselves. The detail regarding the treatment of Glia Blastoma makes you really question what the right course of action should be. Holly uses her grief to fuel her fierce advocacy for more research dollars and a cure for this deadly disease.

Sam Hedrick