She Came to Live Out Loud: An Inspiring Family Journey Through Illness, Loss, and Grief

by Myra MacPherson

Acclaimed author and journalist Myra MacPherson takes the reader on a remarkably intimate journey into the world of Anna, a vibrant young woman, as she and her family live with dying. Threaded through this personal tapestry are vital information and guidance needed by each of us when struggling with great stress and grief. It teaches us all how to be stronger friends for those we love who have a limited time to live. Anna was wise and witty, brave and boisterous MacPherson spent three years with her, her family and friends, you are there, experiencing the fun and laughter, anger and despair, remission and, yes, humor. Anna teaches us that a positive attitude can prolong life and how to live out loud until the last second. MacPherson addresses common * How families deal with young and teenage children of sick and dying parents * How family and friends provide better caregiving support * Why resilience, anger, and humor sustain us and why platitudes are odious * The health field, why doctors avoid death and often ignore dying patients, and advice for change * how long it lasts, how and why men and women grieve differently, what grievers can do, and how friends can help After Anna dies of breast cancer, you observe her husband, Jan, who learns how to grieve positively as he copes with both his pain and the struggles of a single parent raising two adolescents. There are lessons for everyone -- those confronting death for the first rime and those living on after loss. As technology allows us to live longer, most of us will experience the "abnormal normalcy" lived in the homes of the seriously ill. Ordinary daily routines commingle with the terror of waiting for the next medical report, the next stage, the next new hope. At a time when most of us seek alternatives to the inhumanity of dying in impersonal institutions. Anna found her solution in her own home surrounded by loved ones assisted by hospice professionals. You are inside that home, a home filled with love and care. Ultimately her caregivers' grief was lessened knowing that they contributed to a palliative, pain-free ending. She Came to Live Out Loud is a heartfelt tribute to the triumph of the human spirit in adversity. It reminds us that the capacity for love is what gives us the opportunity to live meaningful lives. It teaches us survivors that there is, eventually joy in remembering those who once gave so much to us that there is, indeed, love after death.

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Fifth book to be published March 4. The Scarlet Sisters: Six Suffrage and Scandal in the Gilded Age.The reads-like-fiction true story of VIctoria Woodhull and Tennie Claflin, Free Lovers who shocked the world and upset the white male power structure fighting for women's equality everywhere--from the board room to the bedroom--in the 1870's.

I was a long time reporter for the Washington Post and wrote for the New York Times. I covered sports when women were not allowed in the press box, let alone the locker room; and covered five national presidential elections. Love reading, theater, movies, sports, partying with family and friends.

All my books are non-fiction; I loved the research, if not the winnowing down and writing. Luckily they have been well received so far.

Reviews

[Discoverylover]

(From Amazon) "Acclaimed author and journalist Myra MacPherson takes the reader on a remarkably intimate journey into the world of Anna, a vibrant young woman, as she and her family live with dying. Threaded through this personal tapestry are vital information and guidance needed by each of us when struggling with great stress and grief. It teaches us all how to be stronger friends for those we love who have a limited time to live.

Anna was wise and witty, brave and boisterous MacPherson spent three years with her, her family and friends, you are there, experiencing the fun and laughter, anger and despair, remission and, yes, humor. Anna teaches us that a positive attitude can prolong life and how to live out loud until the last second.

MacPherson addresses common concerns:

* How families deal with young and teenage children of sick and dying parents

* How family and friends provide better caregiving support

* Why resilience, anger, and humor sustain us and why platitudes are odious

* The health field, why doctors avoid death and often ignore dying patients, and advice for change

* Grieving: how long it lasts, how and why men and women grieve differently, what grievers can do, and how friends can help

After Anna dies of breast cancer, you observe her husband, Jan, who learns how to grieve positively as he copes with both his pain and the struggles of a single parent raising two adolescents. There are lessons for everyone -- those confronting death for the first rime and those living on after loss. As technology allows us to live longer, most of us will experience the "abnormal normalcy" lived in the homes of the seriously ill. Ordinary daily routines commingle with the terror of waiting for the next medical report, the next stage, the next new hope.

At a time when most of us seek alternatives to the inhumanity of dying in impersonal institutions. Anna found her solution in her own home surrounded by loved ones assisted by hospice professionals. You are inside that home, a home filled with love and care. Ultimately her caregivers' grief was lessened knowing that they contributed to a palliative, pain-free ending.

She Came to Live Out Loud is a heartfelt tribute to the triumph of the human spirit in adversity. It reminds us that the capacity for love is what gives us the opportunity to live meaningful lives. It teaches us survivors that there is, eventually joy in remembering those who once gave so much to us that there is, indeed, love after death."

[Kerrie O'hagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard the author interviewed on NPR and was drawn to this true story of a family and the issues they faced dealing with a loved one with a limited time to live. She discussed the fact that when we find out news like this it becomes the elephant in the room. In this book she reveals the very intimate moments among a family who want to share their experience with the elephant. The story is told delicately, openly and with tenderness and love.

[Sherri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was a journey of living through a terminal disease. It showed how a person spirit prevails over some of the most unfortunate of circumstances. I cried and cheered wishing for the best outcome.