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Inspiring Book Shows How One Can Find Faith & Life Purpose Amidst Loss
& Tragedy
What is it like to suffer a terrible tragedy and deep personal loss? Would it leave you broken forever — or could it actually provide you with a new way to see your role in this world?
A recently published book,
Heart Beat of Love, explores not just what it was like for a mother to see her infant daughter succumb to a rare deadly disease and how she coped with this loss, but how as a result of her experience, she discovered her life’s purpose and passion.
Author Tricia Brendel found faith and also committed to helping others by becoming a Registered Nurse after her young girl, Elly, died from Pearson syndrome, an extremely rare and incurable disease (just a handful of people in the world develop this).
Brendel was interviewed below:
1. What is your book, Heart Beat of Love, about?
Heart Beat of Love is a story of
sweet surrender, hope, and love. It gives an account to my daughter’s battle
with a rare and deadly disease known as Pearson Syndrome. To give you an idea of how rare it was
considered to be. At the time of her
diagnosis, we were told that there were 5 in the United States and 10 world-wide. I now belong to a Pearson Syndrome group and
have learned that there are now approximately 150 cases world-wide and I have
noticed that new families have been added to this group. Back when my daughter was diagnosed, there
were not any resources available to my family and I. We were riding this journey on faith, hope,
and love.
Heart Beat of Love is a story of overcoming your fear with faith, your despair with hope, your hate with love and life conquering death. It is a book of many emotions leading a person’s understanding of desperation to a new found light. To sum it up, it is a story of Faith, Hope, and Love. The greatest of these is Love.
2. What inspired you to write it?
The inspiration for this book comes from my daughter’s bravery and rarity of this syndrome. It was my husband who encouraged me to keep writing and most importantly it was the Holy Spirit who led me on this journey. After my daughter’s death, I wrote an article on this syndrome but it was so in depth that how could I expect people without a medical back ground to understand this disease process. My goodness, we couldn’t even wrap our heads around it. So, years went by before I could actually sit down to write. Why? I had to complete my understanding and journey of God’s love in order to share it with you.
3. Can you tell us more of the time you got to spend with your daughter?
I would love to. Elly was her name and she was beautiful inside and out. She had spunk and strength. My daughter never really spoke just a few words here and there. We were all taught to use sign language. She never met her milestones, per se, but yet created her own milestones in development. So, for instance, she never crawled or walked but she scooted on the floor to get to her destination. She made her family smile and laugh. She loved to be cuddled and rocked, she loved play time with her sisters, and she loved her daddy. However, with all that she had battled, she had miracles, she had terrors, and most importantly she had love. We embraced every moment we had good or bad.
4.
She succumbed to a very rare but deadly disease, Pearson Syndrome. What
happened to her?
This is a very good question. Children with this syndrome experience different types of diseases. Not all children experience the same. That is why syndrome is an umbrella to the different disease factors. However, when it came to Elly, she experienced monthly blood transfusions, many hospitalizations due to electrolyte imbalances due to Fanconi syndrome and chronic diarrhea. She experienced lactic acidosis, respiratory issues, and much more. Sepsis was Elly’s demise. She experienced sepsis a few times before but those times were the positive gram rods. This time was the negative gram rods and these are deadly. Antibiotics clear the infections but the negative gram rods go throughout the blood sending toxins which then leads to death. The day before everything went south, she experienced a day of miracles.
5. You tackled some big issues - life, healing, and miracles. Tell us about ways one can heal from losing a loved one.
After my daughter’s death, I hit rock bottom. I went through 18 months of my life existing and trying to be a mother and wife. I was numb beyond all measure. I felt so alone yet I sensed that I wasn’t. In my experience of supernatural happenings and research, I believe that when faced with death, there is a reassurance of knowing that your loved one is never alone and neither are you. I found my answers in the Bible. I researched many books but found the true answers there. I believe we all are created for a purpose and a plan which also brings light to our darkness. The key is to have a personal yet intimate relationship with Jesus and stand strong in your faith and hope. When life throws you a curve ball, hit back with the knowledge of God’s love.
6. And the miracles - what do you believe is possible?
I love this question. I believe everything is possible with God and I believe nothing is possible on your own. This is stated in Matthew 19:26. However, there are many scriptures that speaks to God’s possibilities. I cannot deny life after death and I cannot deny Jesus. Myself and my family have experienced many miracles and supernatural happenings that cannot be explained by a person’s eye or mind. I will give a little tease to this fact. One day my daughters and I planned a shopping trip for some retail therapy as they say. As we were backing out of our driveway, all three of us saw this beautiful ball of light with a glow of fire around it falling from the sky dancing in front of our vehicle. After a few minutes, it left. Now to shed some light on this fact. The day was sunny, warm with a very beautiful blue sky. I stopped the car immediately and we all sat there with smiles wondering what that was? Did anyone else see this ball of light on that particular day? Was this a phenomena? Was it real? We all three saw it. Everyone we asked if they saw this happening said “no”. I like to leave it to the person’s own imagination. I firmly believe this was a supernatural happening. Why? To show us that there is life after death and to get us on the right track of where God wants us to be.
7. From what your daughter went through, you went through what you call your “walk of faith” and “love walk.” What are they?
These walks are a personal relationship with Jesus and they are the magnification of God’s love. These walks increased my faith and my understanding of the true meaning of Love. Heart Beat of Love explains this in much detail coming from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They are designed to create a new person in you.
8. You say that when one is faced with uncertainty, the message is clear: We are never alone. How so?
Deuteronomy 31:8 states “Do not be afraid, I go before you always. I will be with you nor will I never leave you”. Jesus went before each and every one of us to claim victory over darkness. We should hold on tight to the fact that we never walk along in the midst of darkness but rather the light is carrying us through.
9. What challenges did you have to confront and overcome in the writing of your book?
There were many challenges. One was overcoming the fear that will this book help others. After all, that is my goal. My mind and flesh started taking over and making my hard work feel inadequate. However, I was able to conquer by standing on my faith, praying, and praising the Lord. After all, it wasn’t I alone writing this. Other challenges were facing the trauma that we experienced and living it over and over. Another was going beyond my comfort zone into a new world of writing, publishing, and marketing.
10. How do you help us see a deeper understanding of God’s love?
John 3:16 states that God gave us
His one and only Son full of grace and truth, that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish but have eternal life.
Imagine giving your Son for a sacrifice to save others. Would you be able to do it? Let’s look at Abraham from the OT. He was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac for
the Lord. Why? Because he had faith that the Lord would
raise him from the dead. Then there was
me. I begged and pleaded with God to
save my daughter and then I begged and pleaded for him to take me instead. Was I willing to give up my daughter? Absolutely not.
For more info, please see: www.patriciabrendel.com.
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