Monday, April 3, 2017
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Saturday, April 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW BY JAMES W. MYERS OF THE GIFT OF DISAPPOINTMENT, A MEMOIR BY LEILAH I. SAMPSON
BOOK
REVIEW
BY
JAMES W. MYERS
OF
THE
GIFT OF DISAPPOINTMENT, A MEMOIR
BY
LEILAH I. SAMPSON
Self-Published
Cover Designed by Five J’s Designed
Photo Credits: jeffy1139 (CanStock Photo)
PlusONE Robyn Mackenzie(Bigstock)
104 pps.
Publication Date: 2016
Websites to purchase:
Mygiftedjourney.com (Signed Copy)
Amazon.com ($18.95 on Prime)
ISBN-13: 978-1539998204
ISBN-10: 1539998207
“At this point, I was overwhelmed. I
didn’t have the words to label the feelings as overwhelmed, I just knew I was
sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I felt like I was drowning and nobody around me understood. Physically, I was overloaded with fluids. Mentally, I was drowning in thoughts over
depression and struggling to cope.
Spiritually I was struggling to stay hopeful as I had only been sick for
a couple of years, but knowing that I would still end up on dialysis and need a
kidney transplant was overwhelming to live with every day…just knowing what was
potentially ahead of me and how sick I was at the time. Emotionally, I was
drained and that’s when I decided this wasn’t going to be a life I wanted to
live. I was definitely drowning in every
aspect of my life. I felt like nobody
around me even cared. It was like they
wanted me to just keep pushing without even acknowledging what I was going
through. I truly believe they were in
denial. I was too, because I forced
myself to carry on all of this weight until I broke.” (pps. 29-30).
I’ve
read a number of kidney books written by individuals who hoped to profit from
them. They follow a pattern, a devastating diagnosis, a life sentence to
dialysis, a redeeming
transplant, a conclusion where life is resumed, which includes abandoning all
things related to kidney failure as if they are ashamed of the experience. These books are predictable, uninformative,
and boring. Shame ridden tomes, best
left on a dusty basement shelf and quickly forgotten.
“The Gift of Disappointment” is
not such a formula book. This book is a
delightful lesson of turning an exceptionally bad break for an extremely young
woman into a delightful coming out party for a mature teacher and exceptional
kidney advocate. Ms. Sampson takes us by
the hand, as if to say, “I’ve been there.
I’ve overcome incurable kidney disease.
I can teach you how to do it, too.
I promise for the rest of my life, I will always advocate for you. You are not alone. You have nothing to fear.” This young writer is someone who has ‘been
there, done that.’ As a kidney patient myself with End Stage Renal Disease,
there are portions of this book that only the experienced recognize as
statements that ring true. Uncensored, unsanitized, and beautifully unblemished
with deep unflinching descriptions, the passages here are almost painfully true
descriptions of the internal thought of one who deals with the diagnosis,
drastic life change, abandonment, the hopelessness of dialysis, replaced by the
optimism of a transplant.
What
makes this book different is that Leilah overcomes impossible negatives with
her bedrock Christian faith and relentless optimism that permeates the entire
book. Leilah does not collect her
transplant and head for home. She stays
with us, she teaches us, she advocates for us. Leilah has dedicated her life to
helping her fellow kidney patients. It is this sense of overcoming, selfless
giving, intense fighting for her fellow kidney patients, that makes this book
unique and special.
“I believe in life
you will encounter roadblocks that seem very detrimental, but when you look
back on them they were redirecting you toward a different path…But now that I
look back on it, I can clearly see that my passion for people has always been
there, but my path was simply redirected.
I was thrown into this community at 19, but I knew I had the power and
perseverance to make a difference. The same dedication I would’ve put towards
being the best nurse, I will use to put towards being an even better advocate.”
(p. 102).
If
you are not a member of the kidney community, this is still a special book.
Anyone can enjoy this rock-solid underdog overcoming great odds to achieve
success theme in this book. If you have
kidney disease, or a family member, friend, neighbor, that guy at work or just
someone you know is afflicted, this book is the instructional manual on how to
deal with the disappointment that always comes with ESRD. Buy this book. It is one of kind!
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