When Force Meets Fate: A Mission to Solve an Invisible Illness

Written by Jamison Hill

Narrated by Chris McLinden

"[Hill's] memoir serves to amplify the ways in which disabled people are neglected by the American health system." -- Kirkus Reviews

At age twenty-two, Jamison Hill was a fitness instructor who could lift more than four hundred pounds. Five years later, after surviving a tragic car accident that killed the other driver, a rare disease left Jamison bedridden and too weak to hold a water glass. He spent every day lying motionless in bed, his body paralyzed by pain and fatigue, his mind hijacked by flashes of crunched metal, broken windshields, and exploding gas tanks.

After months of not being able to speak or eat, Jamison's health finally improved and he began to tell his story. When Force Meets Fate is an unflinching exploration of the human condition, notably how our strengths and limitations shape our identities, and how unexpected events can inevitably alter our perceptions. It's a story of perseverance―of sheer will and unrelenting fight―but also of overcoming life's toughest challenges through the power of vulnerability, and how freeing it can be to surrender to the unpredictability of circumstances out of our control.

"The gripping prose in this memoir describes a young man, whose life deteriorates from a healthy fitness trainer to the sudden depths of being sick and bedridden with a mysterious illness for years. Jamison's dedication to life, however fragile, and advocacy, however impossible, have brought out this incredible story of survival." ―Stephanie Land, New York Times bestselling author of Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jamison Hill
• Release date: Dec 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781662274169

Jamison Hill

Jamison Hill has written for, among others, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Men’s Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Vox, and VICE. He has been featured on Netflix, as well as WBUR’s Modern Love podcast and Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast. You can join the thousands of people who follow Jamison on Twitter (@NotTheWhiskey), Instagram (@NotLikeTheWhiskey), and his blog (JamisonWrites.com).

Reviews for When Force Meets Fate

[Patti Carroll-Frey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an amazing book. My interest came from my personal struggle with chronic illness, initially with no diagnosis and still with symptoms that are a mystery. MECFS has crossed paths with symptoms from my diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome because of the fatigue, though APS has less fatigue as part of the illness than MECFS. I thought this memoir gave a good overview of Life with this Illness and found it interesting in general reading about his experience. I do hope he continues to improve. Although I think shame on the doctor not taking insurance when he specializes in this illness. My APS doctor did the same thing so I ended up without someone who knew enough to treat my condition. I find that unethical. Some people just do nor have that kind of money.