The Inspiration

The characters in the book are based on real people in Rebecca’s life.  Carrie was her funny, quirky, fierce college roommate who died of brain cancer under hospice care at her sister’s home in 2010.

Rebecca was fortunate to have spent Carrie’s final ten days with her and even more fortunate to witness the joy and hope that her sister’s family embraced in caring for Carrie. Rebecca saw how well they loved Carrie and how every detail was taken into consideration.

Carrie’s two nephews were a consistent beam of light and innocence. She felt the enormous love and affection the boys had for their aunt even at such a young age. The boys had questions and wondered many things and each issue was always received and addressed with sensitivity and simplicity. Rebecca heard how truthful and open the parents spoke to the boys.

Rebecca was in awe of this family and how they held each other up. She used their actions and attitude as inspiration for how she spoke (and still speaks) with her half-brother about losing his father.

Now, she is using their story as inspiration to start a company and create a much-needed resource for other families going through a similarly difficult time. As she tours with her book, Rebecca feels honored to facilitate workshops to help families cope with sensitive life topics and circumstances.