With Angel’s Wings is the true story of Laura, a young wife and mother of a
three-year-old daughter. Her husband, Kevin, a marine, is deployed overseas,
leaving Laura to give birth to their second daughter and handle the
two young children on her own.
Thirteen days after the birth of her youngest, the pediatrician detects a heart
murmur. That leads to just the first of multiple diagnoses for … multiple diagnoses for both
of her daughters, sending Laura on an unexpected and emotional journey into the
world of parenting medically-fragile, special needs children.
Right when Laura fears she will break under the incredible pressure, she encounters
the beauty of true love, in a most unexpected and unconventional way.
more
I so felt Laura’s pain and her struggle as she grapples with dealing with a very sick baby. Having a another child at home and the conflict felt as she is torn between the two. The anguish dealing with an unsupportive husband and a family that didn’t seem to understand the stress that Laura was under. The book is raw, and honest with all of Laura’s feelings laid bare. The story mainly told of poor little Hannah and what she went through. The pain of this little baby and the never ending treatments, procedures, operations that seemed to not resolve or give her any respite. The ongoing seizures that left you wondering whether her little body would survive. I did find that it did go on forever which I am sure it did, but for the reader it was a very intense read. I am sure for other parents that have to cope with similar circumstances it would be comforting to know they are not alone. At a point when Laura seemed like she was unable to go on, love comes from an unexpected person. Another conflict to deal with as the person is her step brother. True love never runs smooth as the relationship goes through some twists and turns. A heartfelt read with raw human emotion.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I began reading this book, but I didn’t think it would be a page turner. However, once I started, I was invested in the roller coaster ride with this family. My heart hurt for “Laura”, but even more so for “Emily” & “Hannah”. I can’t imagine the strength it took to get through the years of crisis & pain dealing with poor Hannah’s health. I found the book to be well written and I was never bored or uninterested, finishing the book in just days.
“With Angels Wings” is both compulsive and heartbreaking reading. The author’s oldest child Hannah is born with a rare genetic condition that includes a myriad of symptoms. Sadly, her parents marriage is not mutually supportive and the struggles to provide and care for their daughter and her little sister are monumental.
Thankfully, the author confides in her step brother Daniel , and their love grows “against all odds” as the story unfolds.
The daily stresses of caring for a very sick child are shared in great detail. It is a very poignant story but it highlights the healing power of love and resilience.
Powerful
A gritty story of a mother raising two children with special needs without any help.
In between, she receives help from unexpected sources.
Emotional and powerful book highlighting the power of love, at all costs.
Definite tear jerker and intense.
I’m very glad I read this book. However, it is not for everyone. It is extremely heartbreaking with a lot of medical details. It is the memoir of a woman, primarily focused on the months following the birth of a medically fragile child. On top of it, she had a three year old with special needs and a terrible marriage.
But the book hooked me from the start and I couldn’t put it down. I knew the author had somehow survived this ordeal and was able to write about it 20 years later, and I had to know how she got through it. It is also a love story as the strength she found both in herself and with a new man helped her get through it. (FYI, the text itself ends rather abruptly but it sends you to her website where there is an epilogue complete with photos. If I didn’t read the online epilogue, I would have been very disappointed as I needed to know what happened with all the characters.) This might be a good book to read if you are going through a challenging time, or if you have a friend dealing with a child with severe medical issues. It definitely gave me better insight to how challenging that type of life can be both physically and emotionally for the family members.