A must-read book for everyone

 Karen Murphy (Reviewer) has just reviewed When Hope is Your Only Option.  

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars  

Full Text:
When Hope Is Your Only Option by Jim Stavis

This author wrote this book to help other's who face life challenging adversity, learn from his personal life threatening challenges, that keeping a positive attitude and by using hope as an action verb, that we too can overcome our own adversity when facing loss. The author's bravery and humanitarian qualities are quite impressive and his desire by sharing his story is to selflessly instill in other's that not only can you overcome life's obstacles, but you can thrive and learn from yours.

At the age of 17 years old Jim Stavis was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. The way that this disease wreaks havoc on the body even when managed well, has me worried because my 20 year old son was also diagnosed with Type I diabetes at the age of 6. They both managed it in the same way by taking insulin shots to correct high blood sugar and also by injecting insulin to cover carbohydrates. This author sounds like he altered his diet by eliminating sugar while my son does not. So I am alarmed by the disease's ability to destroy my son's health when he manages this chronic disease the same way this author did. This author even sounds like he took better care of his diabetes by using the pump that is implanted inside the body which my son refuses to consider because he heard his father say no every time the pump is suggested.

This author was told when he was first diagnosed with Type one diabetes to not expect to live past 50. He is the first one ever to have three successful organ transplants. Although he was active he had to have dialysis for kidney failure three days per week before the age of 50. He also suffered from cardiac failure because his arteries were ravaged by diabetes. He shares how when he was faced with the decision to have a heart transplant, kidney transplant and pancreas transplant how his positive mindset and hopeful outlook enabled him to survive and thrive.

His story is powerful because he never gave up hope throughout facing death by being proactive about doing everything in his power to consult with the best medical providers and doing what they told him. He could have easily given up but instead persevered by having faith and always having hope, And that is his message to us by writing this book and sharing his story, that each of us has a choice when faced with adversity to not get mired down with despair, but take steps to improve our personal challenges, He could have easily died by his life threatening illnesses. Instead he remained hopeful and had faith in modern medicine by trusting his doctors and he hopes by sharing his story that he will inspire other's to face life's adversities by taking action and never losing hope.

I am glad and feel grateful to this author for sharing his story. It is inspiring to know that it is up to us as individuals when going through a crises that we each have strengths to tap into that determine whether we overcome adversity. To know that we will all inevitably will be tested during our lives by loss or change to our circumstances and it is the choices we make that determines our outcomes. By keeping a positive attitude and never losing hope by taking action steps and choosing to take responsibility towards our adversity lies within each one of us. Thank you Jim Stavis for being generous to share your story and inspiring in us that with hope we can overcome that which is in our power to change,  

Thank you to Net Galley, Jim Stavis and Dog Ear Publishing for providing me with my digital copy for a fair and honest review.  

Links:  
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2434989759  

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