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    Without a Word: How a Boy's Unspoken Love Changed Everything
    Without a Word: How a Boy's Unspoken Love Changed Everything
    Without a Word: How a Boy's Unspoken Love Changed Everything
    Audiobook6 hours

    Without a Word: How a Boy's Unspoken Love Changed Everything

    Written by Jill Kelly

    Narrated by Jill Kelly

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    "Your son has been diagnosed with a fatal genetic disease called Krabbe Leukodystrophy. There is no treatment and no cure. I will do everything I can to help your son. But the disease has already progressed so fast that I don't think he will live to see his second birthday." With these words, pro football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly and his wife, Jill, were catapulted from a seemingly fairy-tale life of celebrity into a world of private struggle and medical uncertainty. What the public didn't know, however, was that behind the scenes lurked more than a family's pain at the dire prognosis of their only son. Hunter's illness exposed the troubled depths of a marriage that had long been shadowed by uncertainties of its own. For eight years the future was unwritten, with Hunter defying all medical odds and his parents pursuing every means to save his life. Meanwhile, Jim and Jill's marriage continued to fail yet was held together only by their love for their kids and their determined hope for Hunter. Though Hunter's illness prevented him from ever speaking a word, his will and unconditional love spoke volumes to his family and all who knew him. And in time, the light of Hunter's silent, all-too-brief life shone into the darkened corners of Jim and Jill's lives, leading them to authentic faith, a restored relationship, and the establishment of a foundation that is reaching other families with terminally ill children around the world. Without a Word transparently shares it all: The heartbreaking moments . . . and those Jill would love to relive. Moments that add up to a time filled with unimaginable pain . . . and indescribable joy. Moments that silently transformed the hearts of every member of her family . . . and changed their lives forever. Moments that may even change your heart and life, too.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOasis Audio
    Release dateSep 9, 2010
    ISBN9781608147496
    Without a Word: How a Boy's Unspoken Love Changed Everything
    Author

    Jill Kelly

    I began writing in 2002 with a memoir that was a finalist for the prestigious Oregon Book Award. Since then I've been writing most days in the morning for an hour or so and am currently working on book #10. It's just so fun. I'm a big reader of mysteries and thrillers and have written three of my own. I also enjoy exploring the relationships between men and women, and mothers and daughters. I'm a former college professor of literature and writing who's been a freelance editor for the last 25 years. I am also a pastel and acrylic painter and I make art deco needlepoint pillows (www.jillkellycreative.com). I live in Portland, Oregon, with my four cats who do all the chores so I can be creative 24/7.

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    Reviews for Without a Word

    4.5/5

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    • 4/5
      Any Western New Yorker who closely followed Hunter Kelly's inspiring saga will find this book by Hunter's mom, Jill Kelly, to be inspiring and enlightening. The book effectively blends information about Hunter's devastating illness with a revealing personal look into the life of the Kelly family. In the process, "Without a Word" even shines a unique spotlight on some local sports milestones involving Buffalo Bills' Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly. True, some readers might find the religious overtones in some parts of the book to be a bit much. But the family's strong faith is a key theme in the this remarkable narrative, a theme that cannot be given short-shrift.
    • 4/5
      This book, by the wife of Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly, tells the story of the Kelly family and their son, Hunter, who was diagnosed with a rare disease shortly after he was born. Jill tells how their family struggled through the difficulties and how ultimately they were able to find comfort in their Christian faith.
    • 4/5
      Not being a football fan I had never heard of Jim Kelly, or his wife Jill, what initially drew me to this book was the fact that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill had written the forward, but once I read this book, I am certain I will never forget the Kelly family and the special little boy that God entrusted them to take care of! Hunter James Kelly was born on Feb 14 1997 on his fathers birthday, and at the age of four months old was diagnosed with a fatal genetic disease, called Krabbe Leukodystrophy, for which there was no cure or treatments. His parents Jim and Jill Kelly were told that he probably wouldn't live to be two years old. This was a story that I was unable to put down. I became totally immersed in reading not just Hunter's story but the Kelly's story as well. Jill opens up her heart as a wife and mother and shares the struggles and joys of taking care of a terminally ill child, while trying to maintain a marriage and take care of her other children, she shows us the true meaning of a mothers love.We also hear from Jim as well as Hunter's sisters about their feelings while struggling with the loss of their loved one. As the title suggests Hunter never uttered a word during his eight year stay on earth but thru this amazing story his life will forever be remembered.Even though this may sound like a sad story of a young boy's life cut short by illness it actually is so much more, we see a family led to God during this story. Its a story filled with hope, love, heartbreak and faith.A story I would highly recommend. Thank you Jim and Jill Kelly for sharing the story of Hunter with us! I would like to add that 50% of the proceeds of this book will go to Hunter's Hope Foundation. Hunter's Hope confronts the critical need for information, awareness, and research in response to the threat of Krabbe disease and related Leukodystrophies.Click here to go to learn more about this foundation. Thanks to Faith Words for providing me a review copy of this book. Even though I was provided a review copy of this book it in no way alters my opinion of this book.