In 2014 I got a phone call that no parent ever wants to receive. My daughter Taylor was in a horrible accident, and was being transported to the biggest trauma center in Los Angeles. When I began writing and digging into an on-line journal everyday, not only to escape the madness, but to also communicate with everyone-- I learned that it was my comfort. Then my comfort and my cathartic writing process slowly became bigger than that. My writing started with journals from day one and those went on until day two hundred and eleven. It was when I stopped posting the journals on-line that inspired me to turn this into something bigger than a journal. I began mentoring another parent through her child's traumatic brain injury recovery; and at the same time people from all over were writing and calling --to tell me that they missed my journals. They missed reading what I had to say. That made me think that this story of mine, could actually be a book.
My story is about a trauma that happened to my daughter, Taylor, when she was fourteen years old. My book braveing the way takes you deep into my own journey while being beside my daughter in her separate journey of survival.
We spent sixty six days in the hospital as a family never knowing the outcome. Many of my journal excerpts are in the book, and I write about traumatic brain injury and what that looks like, what it does to a family, and what it takes to be a survivor. I write about what it’s like to be a mom through that, and watching your daughter fight the fight. Spending months in the hospital, and going through Taylor’s recovery process --as an author I take you through my personal deep dive into myself--which was not always an easy process.
It’s a book about moving through a trauma with my two daughters, and my own self-reflection while going through it, and always being ‘mama bear’ every step of the way. It is not only a beautiful story about maternal sacrifice, it is also about building tenacity, strength and courage through intense struggle. I hope to encourage and bring bravery to people who don’t think they have it.
Title: Braveing the Way
Author: Laurel C. Fox
Publication Date: June 20, 2024
Pages: 186
Genre: Memoir
When Laurel's fourteen-year-old daughter experiences a life-altering event, her entire world is upended overnight. Faced with her child's precarious fight to survive and the daunting road of rehabilitation ahead, Laurel discovers fountains of courage and devotion she didn't know she possessed.
Despite the hardships and her own private grief, Laurel tackles each grueling day with positivity, resilience, and humor. She becomes a tireless advocate for her daughter by pushing past exhaustion and uncertainty, focusing on savoring small triumphs, finding meaning amidst tragedy, and opening the door to the healing force of community.
Sharing her deeply personal experience, she delivers an emotionally charged story that reveals the extraordinary power of a mother's love, underscoring the lengths a parent will go to for their children. Laurel's own self-discovery will both encourage and inspire you.
Laurel says to her readers “My book is about a trauma that happened to my daughter, Taylor, when she was fourteen years old. My story ‘braveing the way’ takes you deep into my own journey while being beside my daughter in her separate journey of survival.”
Braveing the Way is available at Amazon.
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