Hannah's Gift: Lessons from a Life Fully Lived

Whenever people rave about Tuesdays With Morrie, I always ask them to give this little book a look. As a friend of mine said at one point, "I don't really care what Morrie learned. He had a full, long life. It would have been very peculiar if he hadn't come through it with that perspective and equanimity." Hannah, on the other hand, had a full life even though she lived only four years. Housden is wonderful. She is a keen observer of her own reactions and her own physicality, and it is often in our physical bodies that we find the true nature of our experiences and emotions. This book has no sentimentality or soothing moral. It is the chronicle of a woman who watches her daughter dying and it is the chronicle of a woman committed to her show more daughter living fully in the time she had. Strongly recommended. show less

This is a great read that will make you laugh and cry at the same time. The thought-provoking words that 3 yr. olds come up with are hilarious. Hannah knows that she is dying but that doesn't stop her from living life to the fullest. She knows what she wants and nothing is gonna stop her from getting it. We see that when she is determined to wear her red patent-leather shoes into surgery. Her brother,Will who is 5, is amazing also. They get along so well & have deep conversations about her illness in their own way;a child's version of death and dying.
We also read how her mother dealt with Hannah's death after she was gone. Even though she had 2 little babies to care for, she went into a deep depression over Hannah's death & it took her show more a few years to deal with it. Every year on Hannah's birthday, they celebrate it with a cake and balloons. She also learned that one doesn't need to be perfect nor should your spouse expect you to be perfect. JUST LIVE!! show less

Hannah's gift to her family, acquaintances, medical personnel was the gift of complete guilessness. The book's subtitle is "Lessons from a Life Fully Lived." Hannah lived on this earth for 4 years but has much to teach us all. Hannah brought courage, honesty and even laughter to her struggle with cancer. It's also about "a mother's intimate and tender journey to find a new meaning after experiencing the unthinkable." Hannah grabs your heart from the first page and never lets it go.

Hannah's Gift By Maria Housden, is a touching and emotional read which is told through the eyes of Hannah's mother. At the start of the story Hannah's mother finds out she has miscarried at the same time she finds her daughter also bleeding on the toilet. Hannah is then taken to hospital where we learn she has cancer. From then on all their lives take a very different path to what was planned, and you will feel as you are there with them every step.

A moving true story of a mother's journey in saying goodbye to her dying daughter, surviving the grief and having to raise and nuture the rest of the family. A tear jerker.

This must be one of the saddest books I've ever read.
I have a three year old daughter - the same age as Hannah. I can't believe I actually managed to get through it. Very, very sad.

An incredible true story of unstoppable hope and courage!