I cried and cringed. I’m inspired and intrigued. What a story and what a woman. I started following her on Facebook, and she inspired me to figure out how to clear my blood, so I can donate blood. This is the emotionally and physically raw and honest story of Colleen’s life. It starts with her as a teenager breaking up with her first love because he wasn’t saved in the religious sense. I almost stopped there at chapter one. But then her life journey continues as she finds the parts of herself that are not like her upbringing. Then the big accident happens. The story then shifts into very specific and horrifying details.
The shift to focus on others, the gratitude, and the embracing and thanking everyone who helped her was a turning point for her recovery. I love how she thanks everyone from the surgeon to the EMT’s to those who gave blood. I’m glad they included photographs about midway through the book. It’s a hard subject and respectfully well written.
It’s very interesting to see how and when she shifted from survival mode to gratitude mode. Do you think gratitude and survival can co-exist? 
