Little matches : a memoir of grief and light / Maryanne O'Hara.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

O'Hara, Maryanne, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

O'Hara, Maryanne.

Authors, American--20th century--Biography.

Authors, American.

Cystic fibrosis--Patients.

Families.

Cystic fibrosis.

Daughters.

Death.

United States.

Mothers and daughters.

Daughters--Death.

Grief.

Cystic fibrosis--Patients--United States--Biography.

Cystic fibrosis--Patients--Family relationships--United States.

Genre:

Biographies.

Autobiographies.

Physical Description:

xii, 350 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2021]

Summary:

"An emotionally raw and inspiring memoir that illuminates a mother's grief over the loss of her adult child and considers the hope of soulful connections that transcend the boundary of life and death"-- Provided by publisher

When their only child was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at the age of two, O'Hara and her husband were told that Caitlin could live a long life or be dead in a matter of months. Thirty-one years later, Caitlin lost her battle with this devastating disease following an excruciating two-year wait on the transplant list and a last-minute race to locate a pair of healthy lungs. Left in an existential crisis, O'Hara began to notice signs-- poignant, persistent synchronicities that seemed to lean toward proof of Caitlin's enduring presence. Her book is a reflection on life and death, motherhood, the pain of chronic uncertainty, and finding inspiration in the unexpected sparks that light our way through the darkness. -- adapted from jacket

Contents:

In between. Knowing

Life. Reluctant mother ; The box ; Reprieve, denial, reprieve ; It begins ; This is not forever ; The balcony summer ; An unfinished year ; Homestretch ; Our human assumptions ; "Hope" is the thing with feathers ; All the words

Afterlife. "The refuge of the roads" ; The sound of silence ; Speak to me in Joni ; Little matches ; Faith is a choice.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 347-350).

ISBN:

9780063027763

0063027763

OCLC:

1246184240