I Remember Running: The Year I Got Everything I Ever Wanted - And ALS

An inspiring book for anyone facing disability or a terminal illness. Actually there's a lot that any of us can discover from reading about someone with Wakefield's spirit and attitude. Wakefield's discovery that she has ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) comes just as she meets Mr. Right. This book recounts her losses (walking, speech) and gains (love, a new home, a long-desired pregnancy).

This book provides a source of strength and humor for anyone, not only those facing a terrible disease. Her easy and accessible style give the reader a clear picture of her daily struggles and triumphs. I have recommended it to my friends as a book about appreciating life, both the peaks and the valleys.

We here in Maine have been enjoying not only the words but also the voice of Darcy Wakefield on our local public radio station. She has inspired some "driveway moments" as she has recounted how her life has changed and evolved. I would sit in the car listening as my children escaped into the house through all doors, shivering a bit, thinking about the last time I went running, and about Darcy. I was saddened to learn of Darcy's passing - Dec. 10, 2005. Darcy's siter is quoted in the Portland Press Herald as saying: "We only lost her in body. Her spirit and her words are still out there, and they are still impacting people."

Darcy Wakefield's memoir of her first year with ALS is beautifully written, and one finds inspiriation with the turn of every page. What one would imagine to be a dark tale, is instead, full of light and the breath of life. Darcy faces her challenges with, optimisim, honesty, and, a keen sense of humor. I never would have thought one could fill so much living into one year, and that she does.

To say I "enjoyed" reading this book seems perverse. I wish there were no cause for "I Remember Running." Rather, it seems appropriate to say I am deeply appreciative to Darcy Wakefield for writing this book. Her prose is one of the many gifts within "I Remember Running." The writing is lyrical, lovely and at times, damned funny. It would be a mistake to overlook this memoir thinking you cannot relate to the story of someone living with a terminal illness. This book will have meaning for anyone who has reflected on universal questions of human existence. It will resonate with anyone who has ever had a reason -- tragedy, loss, illness -- to give up hope or ask, "Why me?" Wakefield knows better than to try to answer that question. Instead, without a trace of self-pity, she insightfully calls our attention to the every-day, thousand-fold blessings of being alive. She writes fearlessly and poignantly about myriad issues her disease forces her to confront: faith in a higher power, equality in her relationships and her own sense of self-worth. And there is more. She gives voice to a generation of 30-something women who have struggled with questions of body image, marriage and motherhood, even as they succeed educationally and professionally. Wakefield marches into all of these messy, private places with grace, humor and honesty. You will find yourself laughing out loud. You will probably weep too. You will want to go running. I did. I highly recommend this beautiful book.