The Invisible Child

At age forty-three, Diane Williams had fallen and didn't want to get up. She wanted out of a life that placed so many limitations on her after receiving a diagnosis of chronic crippling rheumatoid arthritis; the demise of her mother, her anchor; and her husband's departure to do life without her and their two young daughters.Williams soon realized that giving up was not an option. She forged ahead, with the assistance and support of her two daughters, who stepped into the role of her caregivers. In her memoir, The Invisible Child, she chronicles the first ten years of "parenting on her back."This new reality disrupted the lives of her minor daughters, as they had to adjust to living with new demands, chaos, restraints, adult responsibilities, as well as the unimaginable life experiences of their mother's special needs and their absentee father.Williams tells the story of her physical disabilities and the emotional avalanche she endured while learning to "parent on her back." Williams learned to face her situation and accept what she could not control and focus instead on what she could. She captures the powerful uninvited restraints and pleasures that caregiving placed on her daughters. With a fierce determination to raise her daughters to be flourishing young ladies, Williams turned inwards to develop an undeniable faith that moves mountains.The Invisible Child is a story of triumph against all odds and also a warm, heartfelt, moving saga of unconditional love in a family that got past the turmoil to garner unfathomable strength and in the process carving out a life focused on solutions that leads to individual accomplishment, success, and peace.In The Invisible Child, along with Williams' debut book Angels in Action, her speeches, and her articles deliver the same message: Giving up is not an option...instead, live life fearlessly, never giving up.