Blue Sky July: A Mother's Story of Hope and Healing

by Nia Wyn

Overview

Set between the summers of 1998 and 2005, Blue Sky July follows the story of Nia Wyn, a mother who battled against impossible odds to heal her son Joe, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy soon after he was born. Told by doctors that he would never walk, talk, see, or even recognize her, Wyn devoted her every waking moment to exploring alternative treatments.

Through an intimate portrayal of her day-to-day interactions with her son and partner-as well as her own internal struggles, perceptions, and celebrations-Wyn shares her own uplifting story of resilience in the face of tragedy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780451226952
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/07/2009
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Nia Wyn was a journalist in Wales and London.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Beautifully written and will strike a chord with every parent. It will have you hooked from beginning to end."
-Good Housekeeping

"Joy, courage, and pain are inextricably linked in this memoir about a mother's unconditional love for her son...This book will leave you marveling at the unique relationship between mother and child."
-Marie Claire
"Compelling. A quiet classic."
-Yvonne Roberts, author of Shake

"A harrowing but inspiring story of love in the most difficult circumstances."
- Seattle Post Intelligencer

Editorial Reviews

"Beautifully written and will strike a chord with every parent. It will have you hooked from beginning to end."
-Good Housekeeping

"Joy, courage, and pain are inextricably linked in this memoir about a mother's unconditional love for her son...This book will leave you marveling at the unique relationship between mother and child."
-Marie Claire
"Compelling. A quiet classic."
-Yvonne Roberts, author of Shake

"A harrowing but inspiring story of love in the most difficult circumstances."
- Seattle Post Intelligencer

From the Publisher

Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers
Expectant moms spend nine months preparing for motherhood, a time of wonder and anticipation. While much of the information on pregnancy details the potential problems of newborns, most moms-to-be expect to deliver a healthy baby. So what happens when the best preparation in the world doesn't result in a perfectly healthy child?

It's the nightmare of every expectant parent -- and it is Wyn's story, and that of her son, Joe. Stricken with cerebral palsy, Joe is given a disheartening diagnosis: he will never walk, see, or talk. Wyn and her husband are devastated. This wasn't a high-risk pregnancy, so they were completely unprepared for this outcome. What followed are years of doctors' visits, numerous therapies, and many long nights -- a new family life that's exhausting, expensive, and emotionally draining. Blue Sky July chronicles the first seven years of Joe's life, and though it doesn't have a made-for-TV ending, its power lies in Wyn's ability to show how resolve and willpower can positively affect a life, and how blessing can come from adversity.

Wyn writes with the intimacy of a friend next door -- honest about her feelings, the monotony of her son's needs, and the loneliness of having an "abnormal" child. The result is that Joe's story, rather than being one of despair, serves as a reminder of the precious gift of every life. (Holiday 2008 Selection)

Starred Review.

In this poetic, heartrending memoir, UK journalist and first time author Wyn relates seven years of personal struggle and small victories trying to raise and heal a son with severe cerebral palsy. Diagnosed in his first year with the most extreme form of the disability, Joe was born blind, without any hope of ever walking or communicating: "He won't even know you," the neurologist tells them. Joe's seemingly hopeless condition quickly takes over Wyn's world: "It is like death." Desperate for a cure ("Impossible," her doctor says), Wyn pursues every possible therapy-from faith healers and prayer to physical patterning and swimming-losing both her marriage and career as she falls deeper into Joe's world. Along the way she discovers the fate of other babies with cerebral palsy, given up to foster care or institutionalized as wards of the state by parents unable to cope. This difficult-to-face story is carried along effortlessly by Wyn's elegant, fractured prose and hard-won moments of triumph: "Today,/ for the very first time,/ I saw the way he seemed to prefer/ to lift his face to the wind." Any parent is sure to be enthralled, encouraged, and deeply touched.
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