Editorial Review:Product Description:When Roxanne Black was only fifteen years old, she was diagnosed with lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease that can attack the vital organs of the body. As a teenager with a frightening and sometimes life-threatening disease, she yearned to connect with others who knew firsthand what she was experiencing. So she started a support group from her hospital room to bring patients together. That group now has become Friends’ Health Connection, a nationwide community that matches people with similar conditions, from cancer and lupus to paralysis and chronic pain and more. Along the way, Roxanne Black has inspired millions.
Roxanne’s mission each day for the last twenty years has been to turn her “bad news” diagnosis into something positive. As she says, “When I might wonder ‘Why me?,’ I know the answer: ‘To help others.’”
Unexpected Blessings is an extension of that goal, bringing to life not only Black’s moving personal story but also the lessons of courage she’s learned from all the famous and not-so-famous people she’s met over the years. From a poignant encounter with Christopher Reeve to her intimate experiences with patients around the globe standing strong in the face of extraordinary challenges, these are stories of heroism and hope. They are also reminders of the healing that comes when we can connect from the heart.
Warm and down-to-earth,
Unexpected Blessings offers support and encouragement to anyone touched by illness or just facing a difficult time in life. It is a powerful testimony to the strength of the human spirit.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Related Items:
see more
Related Items:
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
-
The Book Itself Is an Unexpected Blessing
This book is a winner. I started reading it on Sunday morning, thinking I'd cover a couple of chapters to begin with, and then just kept reading. Through her own story and the stories of a number of other remarkable people, Roxanne Black celebrates our humanity. People can be something else--they take heavy hits but in those hits can be found, as stated in the very apt title to Roxanne's book, unexpected blessings. This is not a Pollyanna book--it looks at hard realities in life, and in the midst of pain and suffering and the terrible truth that life is not fair, it affirms life and the extraordinary power and grace of which humans are capable. It is hard for me to imagine any reader who would not find reward and inspiration in Unexpected Blessings. The book itself is an unexpected blessing; I cannot recommend it more highly.
Rating: -
Out of Suffering From Lupus Grew Friends' Health Connection
From: www.BasilAndSpice.com
Author & Book Views On A Healthy Life!
Book Review: Unexpected Blessings: Finding Hope and Healing in the Face of Illness (Avery, 2008) by Roxanne Black
A FirstLook Review
Roxanne Black is the Founder and Executive Director of Friends' Health Connection, begun when she was only a high school student, shortly after she was diagnosed with Lupus. Her deep felt desire was to share a camaraderie with another teenager with Lupus. Friends' Health Connection evolved from that point, connecting people with various diseases and conditions to each other. Roxanne Black is a Rutgers graduate, has been appointed the 268th Daily Point of Light by former President George Bush, received a medal from former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, and was named by USA Today while in college one of the top eighteen college students in the country.
Unexpected Blessings has received praise from authors Richard Cohen, Mehmet Oz, M.D., Deepak Chopra, Nancy Snyderman,M.D, Larry Dossey, M.D., Bernie Siegel, M.D., and Christiane Northrup, M.D.
Unexpected Blessings is the humbly-told autobiography of the story of Roxanne Black. In the book, Roxanne tells about her suffering, the role of her supportive mother, and the everyday blessings she has received. Overwhelmed with self-misery shortly after her shocking diagnosis, her mother suggested to her, "Maybe you were meant to help others," propelling Roxanne forward into a lifetime of service to those in need of a friend. Out of this intense time of suffering grew Friends' Health Connection.
There are several themes throughout Unexpected Blessings, focusing on mutual understanding, support for those in need, compassion for others both near and far, unconditional love, the necessity of listening, the healthy benefits of laughter, and hope--easily given and devastating to be taken away.
Roxanne states that mutual support and understanding result in taking the time to listen to others. This she says is the foundation of her work and life. She follows Einstein's thoughts in believing that life itself is a miracle. Comparing herself with those less fortunate, Roxanne recognizes that though she's been through some really tough times, she is still able to walk, dance, move, and live a life of blessing to others.
Happiness, Roxanne says is "savoring our journey in the middle of living it." For her it is recognition that money does not purchase contentment, but instead comes after doing something to help another through volunteering, offering support, or just being available. By giving beyond herself, Roxanne has discovered not only herself, but has experienced the benefit of understanding others. Roxanne Black's selflessness is an inspiration to all who can and should, and to those who can and do. We need more Roxanne Blacks.
In the considerate way of Roxanne Black, always thinking of others, she has dedicated Unexpected Blessings to her mother--Frances Black; her sister--Bonnie, who donated a kidney to Roxanne; to an eight-month-old baby whose kidneys were donated to Roxanne; and to her faithful husband Leo.
5 Stars