Scroll on down if you came for Fashionista Friday, but why not enjoy this post first?
When All the Balls Drop - The Upside of Losing Everything
by Heidi
Siefkas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
The
true story of a survivor
who
through losing everything,
redefined
having it all
Heidi
Siefkas was a happily married, globetrotting professional who seemingly “had it
all”—until a tree limb in New York’s Hudson River Valley struck her down,
breaking her neck and leaving her unconscious. Suddenly, life as she knew it
stopped. She lost her independence. She lost her career. She watched her
marriage disintegrate as she confronted a trail of devastating lies about her
husband’s double life.
She
had lost all that mattered, but she was a survivor. She fought to restore her
health, repair her broken heart, and rebuild herself. Along the way, she gained
clarity about her core values, ultimately coming to a deeper understanding of
what it means to have it all.
Through
down-to-earth, short vignettes, When All Balls Drop shows us how it’s possible
to “look up” in spite of pain, deceit, and loss. Heidi’s memoir--rich with hope
and humor, inspires anyone who’s had to confront tragedy and reassess their
life in the wake of life-altering events.
Excerpt:
Putting the Pieces Together
I awoke feeling cold in a stark, square hospital room. I
tried to look around as I heard familiar voices. I was lying in a bed covered
with a flimsy, white herringbone blanket. Both my mother and my husband were
sitting to my right. I heard the beeping of a monitor and several unfamiliar
voices. Why was I here? How did I get here?
A nurse with a long, blond ponytail, glasses, and blue
scrubs came in and approached my bed to check my vitals and IV bag. Looking up
from her clipboard, she asked, “How’s your pain?”
I tried to nod, but I couldn’t. My neck was in a brace.
Scared, I said, “I’m okay. I think?” I looked at my mother’s face. She was
crying. I passed my hand over my face, which was tender and swollen. I was in a
hospital gown with tubes coming out of my arms and plastic cups around my
calves. Every few minutes the cups would inflate and deflate. Combined with the
dissonant mixture of rhythmic beeps from my monitor, the buzzing of the
overhead fluorescent lights, telephones ringing, intercom crackling, and staff
talking, my already-high levels of anxiety and fear rose.
Although I do not remember the few days prior to my waking
up, my mother and my husband, AJ, had been by my side continually. My mother
came closer to my bed, carefully touched my hand, and said, “Heidi, you arrived
at the emergency room via ambulance after being struck by a tree limb outside
your apartment.”
Heidi Siefkas
is an author and adventurer. Originally from small-town Wisconsin, she lives in
Kauai and also calls the Midwest and South Florida home. Heidi is currently
crafting a sequel to this memoir, embracing both her wanderlust and love of
writing by documenting her many travels. You can connect with Heidi at
www.heidisiefkas.com, Facebook, and Twitter.
http://www.amazon.com/When-All-Balls-Drop-Everything/dp/1627871217/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406912946&sr=1-1&keywords=When+all+balls+drop
http://heidisiefkas.com/
https://twitter.com/HeidiSiefkas
https://www.facebook.com/HeidiNSiefkas
https://www.youtube.com/user/hnsiefkas
Heidi will be awarding an autographed copy of When All Balls Drop to five randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour (US ONLY). A Grand Prize of a $50 Amazon/BN GC will be awarded to one randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteLove the excerpt, thank you.
ReplyDelete