Description
Book Synopsis“When I woke up. . .I quickly became aware that gliding through brain surgery recovery was not the big plan. Pain, paralysis, and single-sided deafness loomed ahead.”
Sally Stap was in the midst of a busy and successful 25-year career in Information Technology, juggling the usual concerns about job, daughters, and life, when the unthinkable happened: she was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, a benign but large brain tumor.
Written with a poignant blend of honesty, dry humor, faith, and inquisitiveness,
Smiling Again is a story of the persistence of life and beauty in spite of pain. Sally recounts the shock of diagnosis, a long and painful recovery from invasive brain surgery, her eventual retirement due to disability, and ultimately contentment and acceptance of a new life journey.
For caregivers and survivors, Sally shares practical lessons and tips that will help you find your own signposts of faith along a treacherous but ultimately exhilarating journey, including:
- Be optimistic, but don’t discount possible outcomes just because they don’t sound fun.
- Allow yourself to grieve because there is a new you.
- A sense of humor will give you a better temperament than frustration.
Whether you are a brain tumor survivor or are facing another experience that has brought you to the end of yourself, Sally’s experience shows that even when the worst happens, God is present and visible in sometimes unexpected ways. The future you may not be the same as the old you, but it can lead you in new and rewarding directions.
Trade Review“In
Smiling Again, the diagnosis of a brain tumor emerged as a mere speed bump in Sally Stap’s once idyllic life. She predetermined how God should answer her prayers and how she’d give him the credit. But God had a different idea. Here’s her poignant story of determination and love.”
Peter DeHaan, PhD, author, blogger, publisher
Table of ContentsChapter 1: A Diagnosis from Left Field
Chapter 2: Delivering Big News
Chapter 3: Waiting for Answers
Chapter 4: Taking in Mayo Clinic
Chapter 5: The Blog Begins
Chapter 6: Final Prep
Chapter 7: Heading into the Fire
Chapter 8: Mayo Days: Monday
Chapter 9: Mayo Days: Tuesday
Chapter 10: Mayo Days: Wednesday
Chapter 11: Mayo Days: Thursday
Chapter 12: Mayo Days: Friday
Chapter 13: Mayo Days: The Weekend
Chapter 14 Mayo Days: Monday
Chapter 15: Hello, World
Chapter 16: Things to Be Thankful For
Chapter 17: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Chapter 18: The Philosopher Speaks
Chapter 19: Michigan Winter
Chapter 20: The New Year Arrives
Chapter 21: Waiting for Healing
Chapter 22: Return to Mayo at Three Months
Chapter 23: A Typical Day with Headaches
Chapter 24: Moving Forward and Rejoining Life
Chapter 25: One Tiny Movement
Chapter 26: An Eye-Opening Symposium
Chapter 27: Addressing Facial Synkinesis
Chapter 28: It's Only the Beginning
Chapter 29: Return to the Woods
