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AMYLOIDOSIS a rare disease that Clyde was stricken with. Deborah tells the story of the heartbreaking lost of her husband Clyde, to this dreadful disease. Though they never loss hope and searched the country to find a cure. Clyde couldn't wait for the heart transplant that he needed to survive. He slipped away from Deborah and his children. Deborah shares her pain with readers after a nine year period. This book is dedicated to the memory of her husband Clyde. Deborah wants to educate others who may suffer the same or similar fate. Deborah wants others to educate themselves about rare diseases and never give up hope. By sharing this Inspirational story, she feels Clyde will be at peace and his story will help someone else
Reviews:
I FEEL OKAY by Deborah Slappey Pitts is the true story of the journey Deborah and her husband Clyde took while battling a rare disease. Clyde had various symptoms for a number of years and the doctors could never find anything wrong with him. He knew deep down in his heart that something was seriously wrong but could never get any answers. Finally, he started having blackouts, which happened any and everywhere. The doctors could not find the cause of the blackouts. After enduring tests on top of tests Clyde was diagnosed with Amyloidosis, a disease that at the time they didn't have much information on. It is a rare disease that attacks the immune system and affects eight out of a million people annually. It also doesn't discriminate as it affects people of all colors, creeds and origins.
With almost no information about the disease, the doctors pretty much gave up hope. Deborah was determined to help her husband by any means necessary. She researched, made calls and tried various methods to find a cure. She needed and wanted her husband, they had been married a long time and had two sons that still needed raising. The disease took its toll on Clyde and he became weaker and weaker. Their search ended up at the Mayo Clinic where Clyde was to get a heart transplant; he waited for 57 days. The wait was too much on Clyde as he blacked out for the final time on April 12, 1995, five months after his diagnosis.
I FEEL OKAY is a story of love, faith and determination. It's a touching story that truly shows the meaning of for better or worse, and sickness and in health, that is stated in the marriage vows. It shows a woman of strength, courage and faith who wanted to do all she could to find answers for her husband during his time of suffering. Deborah wanted to tell her story with the hopes that it could help someone else. It took her nine years after the death of her husband to tell the story. After reading this story, I felt a connection to the Slappey family. My heart went out to them and I felt as though I was there on the journey with them. This book was meant to inspire those to educate themselves about the disease and to never give up. I believe the goal of the book was achieved.
Reviewed by Eraina B. Tinnin
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers June 2, 2006
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