Heavy

Finding Meaning After a Terminal Diagnosis: A Young Family's First Year with ALS

By: Kristin Neva, Todd Neva

Narrated by: Todd Neva, Kristin Neva

"There is pain and suffering in this world, but there is also joy, and not just suffering here and joy there, but suffering and joy in the very same place."

Has your world gotten heavy? Are you or someone you love facing an unimaginable loss? Is time divided between "before" and "after"?

When Todd Neva saw a neurologist after experiencing weakness in his left arm, he and his wife, Kristin, were blindsided by devastating news: an ALS diagnosis. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neuromuscular disorder that results in total paralysis and eventual death, usually in three to five years.

In Heavy, you’ll find companions in pain and also companions in joy. An ordinary couple with two young children, once looking ahead to a lifetime of dreams together, Todd and Kristin know how heavy life can get. Their honest story, journeying through the first year after Todd’s diagnosis, shares the perspective of both a person with a terminal diagnosis and a spouse. You will take heart for your own journey as this spirited family perseveres to find meaning, hold on to faith, and discover joy in the midst of pain.

©2014, 2019 Kristin Neva, Todd Neva (P)2019 The Christmas Tree House

Get busy living...or get busy dying!

Perhaps the best way to sum up this book "Heavy" is the famous line delivered in the movie "The Shawshank Redemption" by the character Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins) to his friend Red (played by Morgan Freeman): "Life comes down to a simple choice: You're either busy living or busy dying!" The authors of "Heavy" tackle the age old question about the meaning of life, suffering, and death. Rather than give into despair, they choose instead to have faith and hope in God while going through the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is suffering in any way, has questioned the meaning of life, or asked "Why am I here?" or "Where am I going?"