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A Very Sad but Poignant Story - Not just for Parents. Oct 3, 2009 (32 of 35 found this helpful)
Sadly, this is a true story of a sweet little girl, Elena Desserich, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the tender age of 5. Her parents, Brooke and Keith Desserich wanted to document the next 135 days for their younger daughter Grace as she was too young to really understand what was going on at the time. They published it on the web for their family to read but soon thousands of strangers were writing them, expressing their sympathy. Keith, the father, is a natural writer and did most of the chronicling. It is unfortunate that they had to learn some valuable life lessons in such a hard, cruel way but I am thankful that they have decided to share the wisdom they have gained with us : "We all waste our time and our lives when we should aspire to do more. What we all wouldn't do for just one more day when it comes to an end. The loss of a child represents every lesson we should learn and every moment we should cherish. But instead, we follow the foolish, ignore the clock and cry victim when consequences fall. Yet these children get no such warning. Elena was never foolish, never ignored the clock, and she is in batter for her life. She becomes a lesson for us all." It is no surprised that I shed many a tears reading this beautifully written journal. No parent should have to bear the pain that Elena's parents were forced to bear. We, not just parents, but as human beings, often take life for granted. Reading this book will help you to realize that every moment, even if you are having a bad day, is a GIFT and should be cherished. It will help you to slow down, look around, and if you have children, to see them, not as a duty, but as a gift to be cherished every single moment of the day.
I do want to address the "spiritual" aspect that another review mentioned. I, too, am a Christian but found it "truthful" and "honest" for Keith to admit that he does not and never will understand why this happened to his daughter. And I don't think it is fair of us, blessed with our healthy children, to tell him to go seek a spirtual answer. This is his story and as such, his feelings are valid and don't need to be further explained to us.
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Memoir of how childhood cancer devastated a family Sep 18, 2009 (8 of 9 found this helpful)
This book is written in the form of a diary alternating voices between a mother and a father as they progress through the treatment and ultimate loss of their daughter to an aggressive form of brain cancer.
I read this book in two days, it's very sad of course. I cried throughout the book. I felt like the parents made great efforts to include the exhaustion and the small details of how they kept their family together. They describe what it is like to make repeated trips to the hospital, the facilities and support they encountered as parents, the challenges of parenting their two girls during this soul-crushing time.
Why would you want to read this book? Well, hopefully you would only read it to help you remember how precious life is, or to get motivated to fight pediatric cancer or just to learn more about their charming daughters Elena and Gracie. This book can help you understand what a child suffering from cancer needs to live her life with dignity and a sense of being a child.
Brooke and Keith Desserich emphasize the shift in their awareness from the ordinary to the extraordinary in the days after the diagnosis. How reading the biggest bedtime story and playing with their children and enjoying every second moved to the forefront of their consciousness. So many parents are guilty of letting the drudgery of parenting interfere with the joy of childhood. This book will definitely help you keep your perspective where it should be, if you are lucky enough to be blessed with health and an intact family.
I think this was a wonderful book and I hope it brings a comfort to the Desserich's to know that I fell in love with both of their little girls too. I'm sorry for the loss of Elena. She deserved to live a full life and it sounds like she was brave and amazing.
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Heartbreaking, Enlightening, and Inspiring Story... Sep 24, 2009 (7 of 8 found this helpful)
When writing a book review, I often write about the strengths and weaknesses of the author's message; how the story is unraveled, how the events are depicted, and how neatly everything is tied together in the end. With Notes Left Behind, I don't feel as if I could review this book as if it were a book...I felt as if I had picked up someone's journal and sneaked a peek without permission. Some events were told without necessary background information. The story ended abruptly without any real epilogue. It was evident what was going to happen at the end of the story.
This is what made Notes Left Behind so brilliant. Keith Desserich's account of the final months of his daughter Elena's life was inspiring. It wasn't a book documenting the decline of Elena as much as it was a celebration of her life. Desserich's intimate writing will leave you with an appreciation for how little time even the healthiest of people have on this planet and how we need to enjoy our loved ones' company and make the most of each day. This is a tragic story but wonderfully written by parents that felt the need to share their daughter's inspiration, strength and love. No one can read this story and not be changed.
My heart goes out to the Desserich family - this is a book that every parent should read. Highly, highly recommended.
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Amazing little girl! Nov 6, 2009 (1 of 1 found this helpful)
I havent even finished the book yet. I started balling from the start. It just makes me soooo sad for all the babies with cancer its horrible and we need to find a cure. It is wonderful how Brooke and Keith has shared there beautiful daughters life to promote awareness. Everyone add them to your causes on facebook and donate! God Bless! and hug your babies mine was being hyper yesterday and i was very frustrated and then I remembered Elena!
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Bittersweet, poignant and personal Sep 18, 2009 (1 of 1 found this helpful)
Brooke and Keith Desserich are ordinary parents faced with an extraordinary situation. Their precious 6 year old daughter, Elena, has been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of brain cancer, and is given 135 days to live. This is a day by day diary written by both parents which chronicles the last months of their child's life. After the devastating diagnosis of diffuse brain-stem glioma, the family, including younger sister Gracie, embark on a journey across the country for treatments and tests, mostly painful and prolonged with no guarantees for improvement. Written with candor and frankness, these parents write about Elena in a way that makes the reader come to know her completely. We learn how she is a pretty pink sparkly kind of princess, a determined and fiercely brave child who treads lightly when trying new things, however reluctantly, but who eventually can be persuaded to conquer any challenge with help and support from Dad, Mom and Gracie. We as readers feel the deep sense of loss as Elena's days dwindle and her prognosis isn't any better. We feel the anger and helplessness which wracks the parents all through the night. They pray for a miracle daily, one that never comes. After maxing out her lifetime limit of radiation treatments, little Elena is happy to live each moment with joy and try to battle the demon that is cancer. We are thrilled right along with her as she gazes at the Disney World attractions, we cry as she stumbles into relapse when paralysis once again takes over one side of her body. We applaude her for trying so hard to be perfectly brave, and want to reach out and cradle her as she shakes in fear with each MRI. Personal photographs of Elena, Grace and their parents are included throughout the book, and we are given an up close and sometimes horrifying look at what the disease and treatments did to the small child over the course of her radiation and chemo. We also get to see the wonderful notes and pictures that Elena lovingly gave to each member of her family, showing her heart shaped hugs and kisses whenever she had pen and paper in hand. Whether you have youngsters of your own or not, you will read this journal with the eyes of a parent, hopeful that little Elena will beat the odds. Keith encourages all of us to hug or kids a little longer and tighter tonight, and I'm already taking heed. A touching and beautiful tribute to a little angel, one I will not soon forget.