Five Fall Favorites: Medical Stories

Welcome back to the Five Fall Favorites blog party! Our party room today is the very best in the whole Literary Lodge—the books room.

Just think about it. A whole room full of books. Books on the shelves. Books on the tables. Books on the chairs. (That’s okay, we’d rather lie on the hearthrug, anyway.) Books on the floor. (That’s getting slightly more inconvenient.) Books piled on top of us. (Okay! Maybe this thing is getting out of hand!)

Do you have space for a couple more books? I hope you’ve got room for at least one, because today we have the privilege of offering you Rebekah Morris’s Thanksgiving story, Heritage of Praise (Kindle version) for FREE!

Heritage of Praise: Kindle FREEBEE Available Today Only

With the loss of her mother just before Thanksgiving, Marilyn feels anything but in a grateful mood. But a visit to Grandma’s attic brings to life a tradition long forgotten. Will this be enough to turn tears into praise?

I came close to crying when I read this story. It is a heart-touching reminder that Thanksgiving is about more than turkey dinner and family memories—and that God has called us to a heritage of praise, whatever life brings.

Get your FREE copy of Heritage of Praise by Rebekah Morris.

Are you ready to dive into another stack of books? Today we’re taking a look at our top five medical stories:

Blind Martha

SAW Rating—67/100

Martha has a rare eye disease that causes her to become blind in her late 20s. Martha’s desire is to live a normal life—she loves the beauty of the sky and grass and flowers—but she also wants to accept God’s will—even if that means being blind.

This is the story of Martha’s life. Of how she accepted her limitations, while pushing herself to achieve the utmost that she could despite them…. And of how she was still able to see the Light of the World, even when the light of this earth was taken away from her.

Read Brianna’s full review here.

View the Goodreads page for this book here.

Eyes for My Heart

SAW Rating—69/100

Fourteen-year-old Ida Weaver is happy with her life on an Indiana farm, and only wants things to continue as they are. But as her diabetic mother faces more and more challenges, and her father’s health issues materialize into a scary-sounding respiratory condition, Ida is faced with changes she never dreamt of.

Fearful of the future and clinging to the past, Ida struggles to accept the implications of her new reality. Will Mother’s eyesight get worse? Will life ever feel normal and safe again? Most of all, will Ida finally discover the joy and peace of having the eyes of her heart opened?

Eyes for My Heart is a story we can all relate to in some way. Each one of us faces changes and challenges that we wouldn’t have chosen for ourselves and struggle to accept. Like Ida we have a choice—either we can close our hearts to reality and fight against the way things are, or we can open the eyes of our heart to the only One who can give us peace.

Written simply but with colour and interest, the book draws you into the midst of Ida’s struggles, and lets you experience with her the challenges, disappointments and ultimate victories of a teenage girl facing the big questions of life.

Read Chelsea’s full review here.

View the Goodreads page for this book here.

Beyond the Door

SAW Rating—70/100

It all began when they discovered a mass in the abdomen of their otherwise healthy baby. What could it mean? Little did Roy and Miriam Biehn imagine what they were to face in the years ahead. Throughout Sarah’s short and pain-ridden life, waiting outside operating-room doors was something that was almost to become normal.

But what about when it came to standing with Sarah outside the doors of eternity?

This true story of a girl’s incredible struggles and her mother’s journey down the valley of the shadow with her, will bring tears to your eyes and challenge you to a new perspective on life.

Read Chelsea’s full review here.

View the Goodreads page for this book here.

Shaking Hands with Mr. Parkinson

SAW Rating—79/100

Gary Miller was only forty-seven when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. He was still young. He still had his life before him. But God had other plans.

This is the stirring and challenging story of God’s plan, of Gary’s acceptance, and how Gary chose to glorify God through his earthly sufferings.

As you read this book, you will be challenged anew to dedicate your circumstances and your life for God’s glory, and the encouragement of those God has given you to minister to.

“How much time do I have? How much time does any of us have? Let us be about our Father’s business. Work, for the night is coming.”

Read Brianna’s full review here.

View the Goodreads page for this book here.

Seventeen Ounce Miracle

SAW Rating—82/100

After repeated miscarriage and heartache, Galen and Esther Lengacher have two sweet little girls, and are expecting another. But when Esther goes into labour at 22 weeks, another heart-rending loss seems inevitable—a loss they aren’t sure they can face. Will God perform a miracle and save their precious little one? Journey with the Lengachers through the ups and downs of trusting God in the midst of crisis, and discovering that He answers prayers and works miracles—even seventeen-ounce ones.

This powerful and engaging story will challenge the way you respond to life’s difficulties—and will strengthen your faith in a God who still works in His children’s lives.

Read Chelsea’s full review here.

View the Goodreads page for this book here.

What Do I Love About Medical Stories?

As I take a big sniff, and look around for a tissue-box hidden behind one of these book piles, you might be tempted to think that the thing I love about medical stories is the tear-jerking. Well, maybe a good cry now and then is therapeutic! But what I really love best about this type of book, is the courage and inspiration each of these stories brings.

Some of us face medical challenges in our own lives. Some of us face them in those of our friends and families. Some of us have never really faced them at all.

But all of us face SOMETHING—something that needs strength, and perseverance, and a God who is bigger than the biggest tragedy. May these five stories be an encouragement to you that God is there—and He cares, no matter what we may be going through.

What are your all-time favorite medical stories? I’d love to hear what they are, and why they challenge you, in the comments section below!

Don’t forget to join us tomorrow for a look at five more fall favorites. We’re going to be meeting in a party room that isn’t really a room at all! (Although I promise we can turn it into one, if it rains . . .)

For more information on the Five Fall Favorites blog party, (or to see some more favorite medical stories,) step over to Rebekah at the Literary Lodge:

Don’t miss your chance to be this year’s Five Fall Favorite’s giveaway winner! The 2020 fall reading collection includes 5 signed paperback books by FFF participants/alumni, a FFF book bag, and an Amazon gift card.

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• ← Seventeen-Ounce Miracle—Book Review
• Holiday Tales—Book Review →