Though the end of your life may be near, it doesn't mean you have to stop living
After being diagnosed in her early thirties with terminal breast cancer, Heather McManamy felt like her life was crumbling. Her "normal" vanished—and was replaced with multiple surgeries and dozens of chemo treatments that could briefly extend her life, but would not prevent her inevitable death. With an effervescent spirit and a new perspective, Heather started to live each day as if it were her last. She learned to soak in the moment, appreciate the beauty around her, and celebrate her blessings. She also pondered her daughter's future journey without her mother—and gracefully prepared for it.
Heather began to write greeting cards to Brianna. Cards for her first day of school, her sixteenth birthday, her wedding day. Cards for when things were going right and when they were going wrong. Cards for when Brianna would need her mother—whether in five years or in fifty years—and Heather wouldn't be able to be there for her. Cards for Brianna is the story of one mother's powerful love for her young daughter and Heather's unmatched experiences, laced with laughter and charm, are a reminder to never take a single day for granted.
Praise For…
"McManamy’s tone is uplifting, humorous and resilient throughout her book...If you plan on reading Cards for Brianna, expect to cry. But also be prepared to feel a new sense of motivation to get up and get going—to live life differently than you have before." — BookPage
"I will be forever grateful that Heather McManamy took the time on the journey to the end of her life to share her hope and wisdom. Her book Cards for Brianna: A Mom's Messages of Living, Laughing, and Loving as Time Is Running Out, is so much more than the title reveals. It’s a loving guide to people in all stages of life’s adventure, a joyful reminder of the most important things to lean on – kindness, bravery, laughter and love. This book would be a wonderful gift for yourself or anyone you love." — Kathy Kinney, actress and co-author of Queen of Your Own Life
"Cards for Brianna touched my heart and I could truly feel what the mother who wrote this felt. Dedicated for her her daughter and husband its full of emotion." — It’s a Mom’s World
"The book was funny and inspiring, and Heather has the same strong spirit that I would hope I would have if I faced a terminal illness." — Motherhood Moment
"The author shares her story with pure honesty and humility and writes with a perspective that lets the reader feel they are with her during her journey. She will bring you to tears and have you laughing all in one sentence!" — Happily Ever Laughter
"This young mother offers all of us clear but poignant words of wisdom and humor as she passes through metastatic breast cancer Sometimes the information is as brutally honest as the chemicals put into her body. It’s her matter-of-fact tone, encouraging us all to laugh, think and cry, that makes this an encouraging book." — Susan Straub, creator and director of The Read to Me Program and co-author of Reading with Babies, Toddlers and Twos
"The book is filled with Heather's beautiful spirit... Most of all, Cards for Brianna is a wonderful reminder that "every day matters." — Dad Life
"Such a reality-oriented, emotionally mature approach to life is admirable in all times. That McManamy was able to hold on to it, and more, to let it flourish, throughout each stage of the cancer that ultimately killed her, is immensely inspiring. That she also wrote about it so eloquently for us to learn and profit from is a posthumous gift to the world for which we all can be deeply thankful." — The Objective Standard
"This book was very beautifully written, full of vulnerable moments and personal anecdotes from Heather’s journey with cancer. This book had me laughing and crying – sometimes simultaneously. " — Bottle Poppin Mama
"This is a very touching book with plenty of pictures to add to the story. Even though it is 224 pages long, it only took hours to read. It was funny, sad and makes you realize how special life is. " — Hey Lorri
"I highly recommend this lovely book for all women because it is motivational, inspirational and made me smile!" — SoCal City Kids
"Her hope and humor will encourage readers to love a little harder." — Good Housekeeping
"Powerful memoir... revealing a woman who seized each one of her final days with a style and energy all her own. " — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Her intent is not to shock readers, but the filters are off… [McManamy] left behind an appreciation of life that some never get to experience." — Library Journal
