Little Matches

A Memoir of Finding Light in the Dark

By: Maryanne O'Hara

Narrated by: Maryanne O'Hara

In the vein of The Year of Magical Thinking and Beautiful Boy, an emotionally raw and inspiring memoir that illuminates a mother's grief over the loss of her adult child and considers the hope of soulful connections that transcend the boundary of life and death.

When their only child was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at the age of two, Maryanne O'Hara and her husband were told that Caitlin could live a long life or be dead in a matter of months. Thirty-one years later, Caitlin lost her battle with this devastating disease following an excruciating two-year wait on the transplant list and a last-minute race to locate a pair of healthy lungs.

The sudden spiral of events left Maryanne in an existential crisis, searching to find an answer to the eternal question: Why we are here? During her final years, Caitlin had become a source of wisdom and comfort for her mother—the partner with whom she shared a deep spiritual quest to understand what it meant to have a soul. After Caitlin's passing, Maryanne began to notice signs—poignant, persistent synchronicities that seemed to lean toward proof of Caitlin's enduring presence.

Weaving together a series of interconnected meditations with illuminating glimpses of life rendered via text messages, e-mails, and journal entries, Little Matches is a profound reflection on life and death, motherhood, the pain of chronic uncertainty, and finding inspiration in the unexpected sparks that light our way through the darkness.

©2021 Maryanne O'Hara (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Inspiring and powerful!

Beautifully written, exquisitely read. I worried the subject matter might be too heavy, but the opposite was true. It inspired me, I loved every word, and I feel recalibrated towards greater mindfulness and gratitude.

So powerful!

I am not quite sure how I stumbled upon this book, but I am so grateful that I did. It gave me so much to think about. I’m guessing I will be thinking about it for a long time.

Beautiful & Transformational

If you’d like to be moved and transformed pick up this new, beautifully written memoir. I’m so sorry for your loss Maryanne O’Hara. Thank you and Caitlin for this story of love , joy, and hope. My own grief has been eased by your words.

I don't know who needs to read it...

Tough Listen.
Highly recommend.
Thankful our connected world brought this book to me. 💙
47 & Amalfi Coast are both signs from my son, and they were both in this book. No coincidences.

Beautiful

I lived this life. My son was ill with a very serious autoimmune disease that mimicked CF. He passed away June 26 2019. Forever missed, forever loved sweet boy.

Tragically Beautiful

Maryanne O’Hara writes a memoir about her daughter's fight against cystic fibrosis. I was drawn to this book for 2 reasons. 1) I have also lost a daughter and I am currently and forever in the grieving process of that loss. 2) I had 2 classmates at my elementary school who had cystic fibrosis (they were sisters) and their battle with the disease made me acutely aware of how tragic it is. Maryanne's book not only documents her and her daughter's lives, lung transplant, and her daughter's death, but it also depicts the longing, pain, and questioning that goes on forever after losing your child. I thought this might be depressing, but it's not. It's actually a very hopeful book that resonated with me. It's definitely not necessary to have experienced tragedy to find this book meaningful.

Powerful Story of Tribulation and Love

Little Matches is a story of the relentless challenges of living and dying with Cystic Fibrosis and one family’s boundless love and support. For the reader It touches every level of the heart as Maryanne O’Hara walks us thru her daughters life and beautiful soul and decades of her family’s self advocacy with the best and worst of our health care system. This book will make you hope, laugh, cry and then hope again.