Voiceless Child: No one dreamed she might survive, might talk. Except two ordinary people ... True story.:
Inspiring true story. The Voiceless Child was voiceless, literally. Airway scarring rendered spoken language impossible. Her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe. Heather wasn't my child, but her distress tattered my heart. Fourteen months old, the little one lay swaddled in a blanket, forgotten and lost amongst unchanging hospital routines.

Heather had never felt the warmth of the sun, seen a field of wild flowers, or smelled bacon and eggs sizzling in a skillet. She knew the pain of needles and surgery, but not the comfort of a mother's love, bedtime stories, and good-night kisses. Nor did she know the pleasure of a father's romping playfulness and gentle teasing.

Destined for a life in an institution, she was thought to be deaf, blind, and retarded. She was fed through a tube in her tummy and breathed through a hole in her neck. She did not even know how to move her fingers. In a fleeting moment, our eyes met, and her soul captured mine.

Once home, I woke my husband and said we should adopt her. He protested. He thought the idea was absurd. Once he met her, he changed his mind.

The book is about how we struggled to adopt little Heather, how we searched for a surgeon to restore her voice. Miraculous airway reconstructive surgery gives Heather the gifts of voice and swimming. Without it, she never could have talked or swam with the dolphins.

Heather not only survives, she thrives. Meeting Heather transformed our lives in ways never envisioned, plunging us into despair and showering us with rainbows. Like life, some dreams come true, some do not. In a poignant twist, as a teenager, Heather cares for her adoptive father, when he falls ill.

The story takes place in Florida. It has a happy ending. The grown-up Voiceless Child travels to the island country of St. Kitts for nursing school, falls in love, and even has a daughter of her own. Little Lilly was also born too early, too small, and is a valiant fighter like her mom.
1127442822
Voiceless Child: No one dreamed she might survive, might talk. Except two ordinary people ... True story.:
Inspiring true story. The Voiceless Child was voiceless, literally. Airway scarring rendered spoken language impossible. Her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe. Heather wasn't my child, but her distress tattered my heart. Fourteen months old, the little one lay swaddled in a blanket, forgotten and lost amongst unchanging hospital routines.

Heather had never felt the warmth of the sun, seen a field of wild flowers, or smelled bacon and eggs sizzling in a skillet. She knew the pain of needles and surgery, but not the comfort of a mother's love, bedtime stories, and good-night kisses. Nor did she know the pleasure of a father's romping playfulness and gentle teasing.

Destined for a life in an institution, she was thought to be deaf, blind, and retarded. She was fed through a tube in her tummy and breathed through a hole in her neck. She did not even know how to move her fingers. In a fleeting moment, our eyes met, and her soul captured mine.

Once home, I woke my husband and said we should adopt her. He protested. He thought the idea was absurd. Once he met her, he changed his mind.

The book is about how we struggled to adopt little Heather, how we searched for a surgeon to restore her voice. Miraculous airway reconstructive surgery gives Heather the gifts of voice and swimming. Without it, she never could have talked or swam with the dolphins.

Heather not only survives, she thrives. Meeting Heather transformed our lives in ways never envisioned, plunging us into despair and showering us with rainbows. Like life, some dreams come true, some do not. In a poignant twist, as a teenager, Heather cares for her adoptive father, when he falls ill.

The story takes place in Florida. It has a happy ending. The grown-up Voiceless Child travels to the island country of St. Kitts for nursing school, falls in love, and even has a daughter of her own. Little Lilly was also born too early, too small, and is a valiant fighter like her mom.
22.99 In Stock
Voiceless Child: No one dreamed she might survive, might talk. Except two ordinary people ... True story.:

Voiceless Child: No one dreamed she might survive, might talk. Except two ordinary people ... True story.:

by Ann Giganti
Voiceless Child: No one dreamed she might survive, might talk. Except two ordinary people ... True story.:

Voiceless Child: No one dreamed she might survive, might talk. Except two ordinary people ... True story.:

by Ann Giganti

Paperback

$22.99 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    In stock. Ships in 1-2 days.
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

Inspiring true story. The Voiceless Child was voiceless, literally. Airway scarring rendered spoken language impossible. Her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe. Heather wasn't my child, but her distress tattered my heart. Fourteen months old, the little one lay swaddled in a blanket, forgotten and lost amongst unchanging hospital routines.

Heather had never felt the warmth of the sun, seen a field of wild flowers, or smelled bacon and eggs sizzling in a skillet. She knew the pain of needles and surgery, but not the comfort of a mother's love, bedtime stories, and good-night kisses. Nor did she know the pleasure of a father's romping playfulness and gentle teasing.

Destined for a life in an institution, she was thought to be deaf, blind, and retarded. She was fed through a tube in her tummy and breathed through a hole in her neck. She did not even know how to move her fingers. In a fleeting moment, our eyes met, and her soul captured mine.

Once home, I woke my husband and said we should adopt her. He protested. He thought the idea was absurd. Once he met her, he changed his mind.

The book is about how we struggled to adopt little Heather, how we searched for a surgeon to restore her voice. Miraculous airway reconstructive surgery gives Heather the gifts of voice and swimming. Without it, she never could have talked or swam with the dolphins.

Heather not only survives, she thrives. Meeting Heather transformed our lives in ways never envisioned, plunging us into despair and showering us with rainbows. Like life, some dreams come true, some do not. In a poignant twist, as a teenager, Heather cares for her adoptive father, when he falls ill.

The story takes place in Florida. It has a happy ending. The grown-up Voiceless Child travels to the island country of St. Kitts for nursing school, falls in love, and even has a daughter of her own. Little Lilly was also born too early, too small, and is a valiant fighter like her mom.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780999606452
Publisher: Ann Widick Giganti
Publication date: 11/15/2017
Pages: 330
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.74(d)

About the Author

About the Author: Ann Giganti

A meeting with the Voiceless Child propelled Ann Giganti on an unforeseen journey. She discovered the power of written words to freed people from illness and isolation. Many people are unaware of the miracles bestowed by surgeons who restore voice and hearing. Thousands of children await a permanent home. Their sorrows motivated Ann to give speeches and publish features in prominent magazines.

Publication credits include: Woman’s Day, Bildwoche, and Woman, nursing journals, and adoption literature. The American Academy of Otolaryngology accepted her master’s degree work, “Airway Suction: Not So Simple,” for one of two hundred research posters displayed at their national meeting.

As a registered nurse, Ann worked with women giving birth, then switched to the in-home care of critically ill children. Unanswered questions nagged at her and prompted graduate school studies to become a nurse-practitioner. An accomplished nurse-practitioner, certified in both family practice and pediatrics, she has cared for more than fifty thousand patients.

In Peoria, Illinois, she tended children undergoing critical heart surgery and those in lung failure. For ten years, Ann worked in general pediatrics with a physician who emigrated from India. Travel assignments take her to clinics in major cities or remote areas such as the Lakota Sioux Indian reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.

Ann resides with her family in a small beachside community on Florida’s east coast.
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews