Rethinking Possible: A Memoir of Resilience

by Rebecca Faye Smith Galli

Overview

Becky Galli was born into a family that valued the power of having a plan. With a pastor father and a stay-at-home mother, her 1960s southern upbringing was bucolic—even enviable. But when her brother, only seventeen, died in a waterskiing accident, the slow unraveling of her perfect family began.




Though grief overwhelmed the family, twenty-year-old Galli forged onward with her life plans—marriage, career, and raising a family of her own—one she hoped would be as idyllic as the family she once knew.




But life had less than ideal plans in store. There was her son’s degenerative, undiagnosed disease and subsequent death; followed by her daughter’s autism diagnosis; her separation; and then, nine days after the divorce was final, the onset of the transverse myelitis that would leave Galli paralyzed from the waist down.




Despite such unspeakable tragedy, Galli maintained her belief in family, in faith, in loving unconditionally, and in learning to not only accept, but also embrace a life that had veered down a path far different from the one she had envisioned. At once heartbreaking and inspiring, Rethinking Possible is a story about the power of love over loss and the choices we all make that shape our lives —especially when forced to confront the unimaginable.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631522208
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	06/13/2017
Pages:	330
Sales rank:	1,244,023
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Rebecca Faye Smith Galli (Becky) is a weekly columnist who lives in Baltimore, Maryland and writes about love, loss, and healing. Surviving significant losses—her seventeen-year-old brother’s death; her son’s degenerative disease and subsequent death; her daughter’s autism; her divorce; and nine days later, her paralysis from transverse myelitis, a rare spinal cord inflammation that began as the flu—has fostered an unexpected but prolific writing career. In 2000, The Baltimore Sun published her first column about playing soccer with her son—from the wheelchair. Fifteen years later, with 400 published columns and a completed memoir, she launched “Thoughtful Thursdays—Lessons from a Resilient Heart” – a weekly column for her subscriber family that shares what’s inspired her to stay positive. She also periodically contributes to The Baltimore Sun’s Op-Ed page, Midlife Boulevard, Nanahood, and The Mighty. Join her Thoughtful Thursdays family at www.beckygalli.com/signup.

Table of Contents

Prologue: What's Planned Is Possible vii

Chapter 1 The Accident 1

Chapter 2 Forest 17

Chapter 3 A Family Shattered 25

Chapter 4 A Marriage of Winners 34

Chapter 5 Family Again 46

Chapter 6 Miscarriage 56

Chapter 7 Undiagnosed Disease 62

Chapter 8 Expect Obstacles 74

Chapter 9 When Hope Hurts 82

Chapter 10 When Winners Fail 95

Chapter 11 The Closure Party 104

Chapter 12 One in a Million 117

Chapter 13 A Useless Master's Degree 132

Chapter 14 Finding My Words 144

Chapter 15 Pain Is Inevitable 162

Chapter 16 The "C" Word 182

Chapter 17 Rejected Again and Now Replaced 192

Chapter 18 Dark Days 201

Chapter 19 Acceptance Changes Everything 210

Chapter 20 Farewell to My Father 222

Chapter 21 Saying Good-bye to Mom 233

Chapter 22 Losing Matthew 249

Chapter 23 The Wedding 256

Chapter 24 Facing Fear Again 269

Chapter 25 The Greatest of These 282

Chapter 26 The Empty Nest 292

Epilogue: Rethinking Possible 299

Editorial Reviews

2017 USA Best Book Awards Finalist in Health: General


2018 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist in Inspirational


2018 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist in New Fiction


2019 Eric Hoffer Award Finalist in Montaigne Medal


2019 Chanticleer JOURNEY Book Awards Semi-Finalist in Narrative Non-Fiction and Memoir





“In her poignant and courageous book, Galli pulls no punches. Rage, tears, frustrations, denial, and doubts spill from the pages through articulate, conversational prose. She shares the intimate complexities of her new reality—bathroom complications, the dangers of unfelt skin abrasions, and mysterious pains where there are no other sensations. Acceptance was slow in coming, but fierce determination lifts the narrative tone: 'Life isn’t about what you’ve lost, but about what you’ve learned—and what you do with what you have left.’ A touchingly honest and thought-provoking account that focuses on resilience.”

—Kirkus Reviews



"With a wealth of compassion and insight, Becky Galli tells her memorable and inspiring story. She is nothing short of amazing and Rethinking Possible counts the many ways this is true."

—Jill McCorkle, Author of New York Times bestseller Life After Life

"Inspiring despite its tragedies, Rethinking Possible is thoughtful memoir that resonates with acceptance, determination, and love, serving as a gentle reminder that you may not be able to choose your circumstances, but you can always choose your attitude."


—Foreword Reviews



"You couldn’t tear me away from her memoir, and when my family members found out more about it, they looked at me like I was a sadist. What they didn’t get is Galli’s story is not just about tallying up tragedy, nor is it a pity party on paper, it’s an incredible story about her belief in family and what it is to love unconditionally. It’s inspiring because it’s heartbreaking...The beauty of this memoir is how we get to witness the author’s healing and recovery — all in one book."

—Book Club Babble “Best Books of 2017” (Maribel Garcia)



“Forthright, honest, and bold, Galli tells a story that could be so easily overwhelming or sentimental, with such grace and elegance and clarity, I could not stop reading once I began. Good humor, kindness, and love shine off of every page.”


—Heather Sellers, author of You Don’t Look Like Anyone I Know



“Becky lives a different life than most of us and does it with the same graciousness, strength, passion, doubts and power we all envision having. Rethinking Possible is a quick read that delivers a powerful message for those who stop and listen.”


—Cristina Sadowsky MD, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, former physician, Christopher Reeves





“Becky’s memoir had me turning the pages and going to my desk late each morning, so I could read one more chapter with my coffee. Becky writes with incredible frankness and clarity.”


—Lisa Manterfield





“I love reading memoir, particularly stories of transformation, faith, and redemption, and this book has aspects of all three.”


—Marry Potter Kenyon, Story Circle Book Reviews

From the Publisher