Lisa's Triumph: Victory Over Leukemia will stir the hearts of all who read it while giving a thrust of confidence and optimism to those afflicted or closely affected by this, or any other, life threatening or perilous disease, debilitation, deformity, or injury. When nine-year-old Lisa was told she had leukemia and only a twenty percent chance of living six months, she fought back! Undaunted by bleak statistics, Lisa's family helped her win an overwhelming battle. Get to know Lisa, and you will appreciate her fiery surge of strength mushrooming from within and experience a budding sensation of infinite power. This is not merely about Lisa's struggle: it parallels the observations, feelings, and thoughts of those closest to her, explaining their reactions and fears--and how each was able to cope and overcome. "I want people to know it doesn't have to be like that," Lisa's mother says as she recalls the foreboding predictions that were often set before them. But Lisa tells it differently. She takes you back, allowing you to look through the eyes of a young girl. "I just wanted to be like the other kids," she explains. "You know, to be able to stay overnight at a slumber party or have my own hair again after it all fell out." "Yes," her mother Pat recalls, "she lost her hair eleven times. Finally, we began shaving her head. It was easier that way. We'd sit in front of the mirror, laughing and crying and hugging each other." Lisa's Triumph: Victory over Leukemia radiates inspiration and hope as it conveys a message of faith: a tragic story with a happy ending; a lesson of incredible forbearance against towering adversities, where the unconquerable is defeated. I take pride in having been accepted by Lisa and her family to be the one who has helped them weave the events of Lisa's childhood into a novel. As we contemplated the drafting of this volume, Lisa told me, "Mom really wants it to start with what she wrote." And so it does! Nearly all quoted passages remain exactly the same as they were first produced. Everyone worked on this book together, relating the saga of Lisa as accurately as human memory allows. The characters are real, and they have created a rich array of maxims for us to learn from. Lisa's Triumph: Victory Over Leukemia takes "creative nonfiction" to a whole new level. By fictionalizing certain binding paragraphs--that is, the story behind the story...the way it is told...the setting in which it is revealed--I hope you (the reader) will find it to be a very refreshing approach, and become more involved and more appreciative of what Lisa and her loved ones have survived. Let yourself be fascinated by their courage, embrace their despair, learn from their faith, and bask in the joy of a conquest won. This is more than just the history of a little girl suddenly facing death. It is the coming together of a whole family, focused on saving her and helping each other. Their story creates a gentle rhythm of inner consciousness which will envelop your soul as you read. There is a subtle poetry that emerges from this multiple biography, filtering through the fibers of existence and time.
About the Author: .... Sandra Hookham lives with her husband in rural Wisconsin where there is plenty of time during the long winter months to pursue the writing she loves--be it creative nonfiction, historical fiction, or pure fiction with a twist. She also loves poetry, but only that which is well-cadenced, rhymed, and easily understood: "The First Snowfall" by James Russell Lowell; "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman; "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe; "The Village Blacksmith" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; and "The Barefoot Boy" by John Greenleaf Whittier. Indeed, her favorite author of poetry is still Longfellow, with Whittier running a close second. ----------------------------------------.... "Everything I write, I try to make unique--unlike anything before it," she says with a thoughtful gaze. "I think good writers need to isolate themselves from what others have done--quarantine their work until it is finished." ---------------------.... Yes, not only does Sandra's writing possess an underlying message, distinctly her own and remarkably significant in its context, but she illuminates her characters in a way few authors can. -------------------.... Far from the writing desk, Sandra has another love. She is an avid horse woman, who not only rides but breaks and trains them as well. ---------------------------------.... "My training style is as unique as my writing," she admits. "But it works. I can start with a young horse on a Saturday morning that is virtually wild, and by Sunday afternoon I can usually have them neck reigning--not to mention following me around like a kitten. I've spent most of my life figuring out how to do things on my own. Maybe it's because I'm too stubborn to take much advice, or possibly it has something to do with being such a perfectionist." --------------------------------.... When asked what her favorite breed is, she replied, "Well, I've been raising registered Paints for about 14 years now. I have my own black and white homozygous tobiano stallion--he was born in 2000." -----.... Then, she adds, "Don't tell anybody, but my favorite mount is still an Arabian or part Arab. I just like their spirit, loyalty, and movement--not to mention how gorgeous they are."------------------------....FOR A MORE COMPLETE AUTHOR BIO: Go to top of page, click "member spotlight" drop down, click "member showcase" - near top of next page click "browse" then "people" - next page enter: S-Hook in box, click "Search People." Click on S-Hook's picture.