Game Changer

by Paul Frase, Alison Rockett, Nkumu Mandungu (Foreword by)

Overview

Would Joshua die the day he was born?

After twenty-four days in Medical City's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Dallas, Texas, Joshua was sent home with his parents, Paul and Alison. The doctors said, "If your son is alive in a year, bring him back and we'll re-evaluate him." The doctors couldn't possibly have known what would take place over the next 15 years and 11 months.

Joshua's will to live, mixed with the resolve and relentless fortitude of his mother and the determination of his NFL father would change the face of Myotubular Myopathy (MTM) and neuromuscular research. History was destined to be written.

It's a story of a boy, a dog and a cure.

"The truth of the matter is nobody is perfectly normal. We all have various types of characteristics, but one thing is for sure; none of us are the same and none of us are completely different."

~Joshua Miles Frase ~ 2009 ~ 15 years of age

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596161207
Publisher:	Southern Yellow Pine (Syp) Publishing LLC
Publication date:	11/30/2022
Pages:	202
Sales rank:	899,791
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.46(d)

Editorial Reviews

"The story of Joshua Miles Frase is nothing short of a miracle. Joshua's life, and the tenacity and fortitude shown by his parents, are catalysts that have pushed science to find a cure for an ultra-rare disease. Joshua's story will inspire you to dream and encourage you to reach beyond perceived boundaries. In my opinion, this is a 'must' read!"

Stuart Epperson, co-founder and chairman of Salem Communications

"Paul Frase and Alison Rockett have dedicated their lives to finding a cure to the cruel disease that afflicted their son Joshua. I never met Joshua but I have known Paul and Alison for years-and I marvel at their courage and determation. They have channeled their trauma into hope, a heartbreaking diagnosis into action. They are inspirations and their story is a testament to the indomitability of love."

Jeremy Schaap, ESPN, eleven-time Emmy Award winner

"Frase and Rockett have written a brilliant, honest memoir profound in its ability to raise you up and cast you down. I am haunted by the line, "My son, my son." But ultimately, it is a story of tremendous courage and faith; a story every parent should read."

Tim Green, American Author and former NFL player

From the Publisher

2023-02-05
This debut memoir recounts a married couple’s fight to find a cure for the neuromuscular disease that afflicted their son.

Frase’s whirlwind romance with Rockett quickly led to the two walking down the aisle. The NFL defensive lineman and the former assistant manager of the hard rock band Guns N’ Roses started a family in the mid-1990s when their son was born. Sadly, there were complications; baby Joshua needed oxygen and had visibly weak muscle tone. After testing him for more than three weeks, doctors sent the family home without a diagnosis. The couple, in due course, learned that Joshua had myotubular myopathy, a rare disease (“At last, his disorder finally had a name!”). Caring for the boy was a 24-hour job involving an insurance-provided night nurse. His parents were saddled with the perpetual fear that Joshua would suddenly stop breathing. They nevertheless believed in a cure and launched fundraising ventures to sponsor research and help not only their son, but any child suffering from MTM as well. Their resilience bolstered their struggle against a disease that doctors thought Joshua would succumb to within his first year. The authors aptly depict their hardships. Frase’s moves to other football teams, such as from the Jets to the Jaguars, split up the family, while Rockett’s “new reality” involved devoting all her time to Joshua. But they shared happy moments as well, such as picking blueberries at a Maine orchard and Joshua’s playing a video game prank on his sister. Straightforward, unadulterated prose grounds heartbreaking confessions, including Rockett’s recollection that she was convinced she was to blame for her son’s condition, along with clearly explained medical procedures and terminology. This holds true even as the touching book alternates between Rockett’s and Frase’s perspectives and adds personal accounts from doctors involved in MTM research and Joshua’s teachers and friends. A somewhat sparse but welcome selection of family photographs enhances the pages.

A moving and inspiring account about prevailing over a serious disease’s stranglehold.

Kirkus Reviews