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The Long Awakening: A Memoir
The Long Awakening: A Memoir
The Long Awakening: A Memoir
Ebook287 pages3 hours

The Long Awakening: A Memoir

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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On a crisp October day in 2002, Lindsey O'Connor woke from a 47-day medically induced coma. She heard her ecstatic husband's voice and saw his face as she emerged from the depths of unconsciousness. She was bewildered by the people around her who looked so overjoyed and were so thoroughly attentive and attuned to her every move. Then came the question: "Do you remember that you had a baby?"

Lindsey drifted in and out of consciousness again for weeks. When she finally and gradually surfaced permanently from her long submersion, she struggled to understand that the day her baby came into the world was the day she left it. Her awakening was the happy ending for her family and friends--the miracle they had been praying for--but it was just the beginning of Lindsey's long and frightening journey toward a new reality.

With visceral images and richly layered storytelling, Lindsey O'Connor vividly tells the poignant true story of the struggle to reenter her world and rebuild her identity. Underlying this life and death battle is a story of lost and found love, the effort to make sense of life-altering events, and the continuing search for self. This moving memoir paints a powerful picture of pain, beauty, and the unsurpassable gift of finally knowing who you are.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 1, 2013
ISBN9781441243041
The Long Awakening: A Memoir
Author

Lindsey O’Connor

Lindsey O'Connor is an author, a freelance journalist, and a speaker who has contributed to public radio's Weekend America, WashingtonPost.com, The Rocky Mountain News, Christianity Today, Writer's Digest, Guideposts, and others. She has reported internationally, is a former broadcaster, was a finalist for an Audie Award, and is a member of The Association of Independents in Radio and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. She and her family live in Colorado.

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I had a feeling, a hope that this memoir would be well written, and I was not disappointed. O'Connor is a journalist and knows how to write. Even after a debilitating coma which left her with many long lasting and perhaps life long handicaps, her ability to write, to tell her story, is intact, thankfully. She does a great job describing the medical, emotional and spiritual challenges that arose from her ordeal. An easy, quick read, but not shallow at all. Very inspiring.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Lindsay O'Connor went into the hospital, gave birth to a baby girl, and shortly afterwards began hemorraging. She lost so much blood doctors knew there would be brain damage... and there was. This is her story. What a frightening time in the lives of Lindsay and her family. The book opens with Lindsay coming out of a 47 day medically induced coma. Her husband standing beside her asking again and again "Can you hear me?". Lindsay hearing but floating in and out of that sea of darkness. Her husband is absolutely wonderful, never giving up on her recovering. Remembering she had a baby who is now two and a half months old and wondering if she would be able to bond with her. A story of faith and the will to live. Sad to read at times but I had to rejoice with her as she passed each stepping stone. I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Lindsey O'Conner's memoir of the time she was in a coma after the birth of her child is heart-rending, yet so positive and uplifting at the same time. Reading this had a great impact on my life, and not just because my Mom was in this type of a situation for two weeks after she had an infarction to her large intestines. I could readily identify with those around her who had to deal with the stress and anxiety of having a loved one so close to death's door. And through her eyes I can more easily understand the one who has been there. As with Lindsey, my Mom is also deeply thankful that she did not leave her children orphans (though we are considerably older than the O’Connor family). It is amazing and awesome that Lindsey is able to tell so much of what she went through in such a clear and articulate manner. Truly an eye opener for me. I recommend this story to those who love to read true stories and memoirs, but also to those who would rather pick up a fiction to get lost in. I received this book free from Melody at Graf-Martin and Revell Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. A positive critique was not required. The opinions stated are my own.

Book preview

The Long Awakening - Lindsey O’Connor

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