Finding Lina: A Mother's Journey from Autism to Hope

Description

A mother's life is changed by the indomitable spirit of an autistic daughter, in this "passionate book for families with special-needs children" (Kirkus Reviews). Lina was a normal and precocious toddler—charming, chatty, and joyful—but at the age of three came the first seizure, followed, to her parents' horror, by the loss of her ability to play, use language, and control her impulses. Over the next few years Lina seemed further and further away. She communicated her acute discomfort by biting, screaming, hitting, laughing maniacally, and throwing violent tantrums. As a single mother, with the help of her ex-husband, Helena tirelessly pursued every possible avenue to find a treatment. Soon, Helena and Lina's new normal would be special schools, restrictive diets, sensory stimulation, relationship-based therapy, gastroenterology, homeopathy, sign language, and allergy treatment. A mother and daughter's life together had irrevocably changed. But with the extraordinary help, patience, and understanding of friends and family, and Lina's own strength and perseverance, that new life has become one of inspiration, healing, and transcendent love. Unflinchingly raw and courageous, Finding Lina "is not only a mother's painfully honest account of coming to terms with her daughter's autism, but an offering of insight and new possibility to parents facing similar situations. This is a story that resonates beyond the specific illness, with a universality both heart-rending and inspiring" (New York Times bestselling author Dick Russell).