Book Nook: Cards for Brianna

“So…I have some good news and some bad news,” Heather McManamy wrote in a note her husband, Jeff, posted on Facebook. “The bad news is, apparently, I’m dead. Good news, if you’re reading this, is that you are most definitely not (unless they have Wi-Fi in the afterlife). Yes, this sucks. It sucks beyond words, but I’m just so damn glad I lived a life so full of love, joy, and amazing friends.”

That gives you the idea of the humor you'll find in a book I recently got to read, Cards for Brianna: A Mom's Messages of Living, Laughing, and Loving as Time Is Running Out. I'll be honest, as a mom it was hard to read this book, imagining what I would be facing if I knew I was going to leave my beautiful daughters. But at the same time, the book was funny and inspiring, and Heather has the same strong spirit that I would hope I would have if I faced a terminal illness.

The book shares some of the cards that she has written to be shared with Brianna as she reaches certain milestones - birthday, wedding, tough times, celebrations. The book was finished just hours before she died. A portion of the book's sales has benefited METAvivor - a non-profit, volunteer-run organization that funds research for metastatic cancer (which often receives a lot less awareness than other types of cancer).

It's a sad, yet inspiring story that I'm glad I got to read.