A Short Walk Home: With Love All Things Are Possible

by David Cry, J.K. Simmons (Foreword by)

Overview

A Short Walk Home is a heartfelt and inspirational memoir of a father raising and ultimately losing a child to the neurological disorder adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). Exploring the full extent to which a disease like ALD can shape and affect a life, as both David Cry and his family try to come to grips with the inevitable conclusion to their struggles, A Short Walk Home captures the helplessness and anger that every parent feels at being unable to save their children.

Presented in prose both simple and true, A Short Walk Home shows us how to find peace and acceptance—at a time when we need it most. Drawn from the author’s personal experience, as well as years of working with individuals and families suffering from ALD, Cry's story is at once both very personal, and very accessible—a story of appreciating what you have, making the most of the time you have left, and finding solace in the face of grief.

Contrasting sadness with hope, vulnerability with strength, and frustration with acceptance, A Short Walk Home demonstrates that grief, no matter how great, can give way to a greater understanding.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781578265671
Publisher:	Hatherleigh Press
Publication date:	06/30/2015
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.55(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.38(d)

About the Author

David Cry is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Adrenoleukodystrophy Foundation, an organization founded in 2000 to serve the needs of families with the fatal pediatric condition, ALD. David lives his passions daily, having assisted mothers and fathers affected by this terrible condition in over 150 countries. David has established relationships with researchers at Johns Hopkins, Duke, Minnesota, Harvard, M.I.T., and many other institutions of higher learning. “Care today for a cure tomorrow” has been The ALD Foundation's motto since day one, and David works tirelessly every day to make this change a reality. He currently resides in Slidell, Louisiana with his wife Jaymee and son Brennan.

J.K. Simmons is an American actor of film, television and stage. Simmons' performance in Whiplash received universal acclaim and earned him more than 30 accolades, including the Academy Award, the Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Read an Excerpt

My name is David Cry. I live in Slidell, Louisiana, with my wife, Jaymee, and son Brennan.

In 2011, when I began writing this book, this page was just that short, simple, and shallow. But now, having been to hell and back, it would seem appropriate to alter my introduction to you, to this book.

So: My name is David Cry. I am a husband to Jaymee, a lady with more courage and bravery than I have ever experienced. She has (now) lost five close family members, including a son and a father, to adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). It has not been easy; each time, it has taken a unique and personal toll. Yet despite this, Jaymee remains the warmest and most loving woman alive. She is an incredible wife, and a wonderful mother. I believe that our coming together and starting a family was an act of fate; that God decided David Cry should marry Jaymee Godfrey, and that together they would be tested at every turn. And through it all, our resolve for life and our love for one another have only been strengthened.

In addition to being a husband, I was and am a proud father. Although my son Logan was not mine biologically, I did my best to love him as though he were. We had difficulties—the normal things that occur when families blend. In my heart, I know that Logan did not deserve what happened to him. I had to watch as ALD stripped away the little boy I knew, but despite that, I will always remember the child he was before: a loving kid, always quick with a smile, a hug, or a nuzzle. I miss him daily, and those feelings will never end.

I am also the father of Brennan, who will be 7 when this book comes out. Brennan is an incredible kid. He was screened for ALD before being implanted in Jaymee, and knowing that the same disease that took his brother will not affect him is an enormous relief. Brennan is highly intelligent, just like my father was. In fact, they share so many similar characteristics that at times it feels bizarre. The main question I have asked myself since Brennan was 2 is: How does one maintain with a child who is more intelligent than his own parents? Brennan continues to challenge us daily. His ability to set goals and follow through on his plans is remarkable, particularly for someone his age. We can already see that he has what it takes to accomplish whatever he chooses. He shows love abundantly, and cares for others. We have been very blessed by his existence.

I hope that, as you walk along the path of this book and its story, you will be mindful to suspend your disbelief. All that you will read occurred, and even more that I do not wish shared. The fact that we remain whole can be attributed to but one thing: love. Love that we give, and love that we receive—both have worked to sustain us. Ultimately, I believe that this growing closer together is what God intended for us all.

Life has not, in my 46 years of ups and downs, ever appeared complicated. We all have good times and bad. The negative things that life contains challenge each of us. My hope is that, through reading the story of my son and my family, I am able to impart to you one lesson: “Getting through it” is but one aspect of our lives. Live happy. Love more. Life is an amazing journey. Never give up hope.

—Excerpt from the Prologue by David Cry

Table of Contents

FOREWORD by JK Simmons
INTRODUCTION by John Hirschbeck
PROLOGUE

Chapter 1: THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Chapter 2: DESTINY
Chapter 3: WISDOM
Chapter 4: WALK AWAY
Chapter 5: AND BABY MAKES ME
Chapter 6: UNAVOIDABLE
Chapter 7: IN JAYMEE’S EYES
Chapter 8: BRENNY
Chapter 9: SUPPORT
Chapter 10: SERVANT
Chapter 11: CONFUSION
Chapter 12: NEVER SAY GOODBYE
Chapter 13: ON AND ON

AFTERWORD
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Editorial Reviews

A Short Walk Home reaffirms the controlling truth of life: Love is the most powerful and enduring force we encounter. The story David Cry shares with us about losing a son reminds us all that love is the one essential needed to survive the most harrowing and hideous pain.”
—Jim Axelrod, CBS News
 
“A Short Walk Home is that rare (true) story that is both completely devastating and supremely hopeful. The story of David and Jaymee and their boys is one that must be read, and then shared. We owe it to ourselves, and to our loved ones.”
—J.K. Simmons, Academy Award-winning actor

“A Short Walk Home is more than David's story of survival but rather an inspiring story of his triumph over the darkest moments with only faith, hope, and love as a companion. David has tirelessly dedicated his life to ending the tragic effects of ALD as well as offering hope to those suffering.”
—Chef John Besh, owner, The Besh Restaurant Group
 
“I've heard it said, ‘Pain is the precursor to change!’ David and Jaymee have suffered excruciating pain on every level possible and because of that pain, they are now changing the world!”
—Heath Evans, analyst, NFL Network and Super Bowl XLIV Champion
 
“A Short Walk Home is a testament to love, devotion, and the grit and resolve it takes to endure the unthinkable and emerge stronger and more committed than ever to each other, to a son's legacy, and to a cause that must be addressed now.”  
—Karen Swensen, anchor, WWL-TV New Orleans

From the Publisher