Customer Reviews

For the Love of Rachel: A Father's Story

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just bought the book today and when I picked it up to read it, I was enthralled. I couldn't put it down! It is an amazing story and I am very grateful to have read it. I thank Dr. Loewenstein for sharing Rachel's story with me and the rest of the world. I am sure that her story and what he took from that experience will inspire everyone who reads it just as it touched and inspired me.

This story is both moving and inspirational. It covers a love story between Susan and David and the trying times they faced, individually and as a couple, as they looked after Rachel, even before her birth. The book touches upon issues that many couples face, including infertility, prematurity, and the decision to adopt a child. What I really liked is that it does so in a refreshing and open manner and that it is very easy to read. I highly recommend it!

As part of his job as an Alzheimer's researcher, Dr. Loewenstein writes articles about Alzheimer's for scientific and medical journals. But For The Love of Rachel is written from a more personal point of view.

The early chapters of the book cover the ups and downs of Rachel's months in the neonatal intensive care unit, her setbacks and her surgeries, and her fight to live. The next few chapters detail her family's ongoing work to provide the help she needs to do things most of us take for granted - chew food, dress herself, and go to school.

But it's the last two chapters that get at the very essence of life. In those chapters, Dr. Loewenstein writes that having a special needs child has caused him to re-examine his assumptions about life, and society's emphasis on appearance, money and winning. He says that by accepting Rachel's limitations, he has come to accept his own limitations and those of others.

For the Love of Rachel is an inspiration for anyone dealing with adversity and illness.

"For the Love of Rachel: A Father's Story" by David Loewenstein, Ph.D.

Dr. David Loewenstein opens this moving true story with these memorable words: "Certain moments in life are indelibly etched in our memory.... No matter what their nature, our lives are transformed and we are never the same."

We've all had defining moments in our lives, but most of us have never been through the months of fear, anxiety, and stress that David Loewenstein and his wife Susan experienced in late 1995 and throughout 1996, as their daughter Rachel lived in an NICU unit fighting for her life. Born in November 1995 at 23 weeks' gestational age and weighing a mere 18 ounces, Rachel was indeed a miracle baby.

David notes: "Given her prematurity and the extent of her complications, we had been told by the OB/GYN before her delivery that Rachel had less than a 5% chance of survival."

"For the Love of Rachel: A Father's Story" is a story of courage and love--of two people who wanted desperately to be parents. This is their experience with a premature birth and the miraculous baby girl who survived and went on to face many challenges--and also the story of her precious younger sister, Amy, adopted from an orphanage in China.

At the age of 12, David Loewenstein was already a romantic with a lot of love to share. Mowing lawns, he dreamed of his future wife and wondered if she "were dating someone. Whoever it was, I absolutely hated him."

David's sense of humor and his use of revealing details and vivid images make this book an enjoyable read. You'll feel like you're there on his first dates with Susan, as they talk about what they'll name their first child. This sense of immediacy adds to the comfortable, friendly style, making the book a quick read you won't want to put down.

Despite his early dreams, it wasn't until later in his career that David was to find the lovely and bright woman he hoped to marry, and then they went through many trials together. "Most relationships are not truly tested, at least not early on. However, with each new adversity, Susan and I became more strongly united in our love for each other and for the love of Rachel.... We never wanted to confront some of the horrible experiences that we have faced, but we both believe that the experience has strengthened us and has taught us lessons that we might have never appreciated."

David offers intimate glimpses into the pain, fear, and dread he experienced as Rachel fought for her life. "I thought about both Rachel's and our refusal to give up, but like so many things in life, much was beyond our control. I remember praying to God that whatever His will, I would accept it. I vowed that if Rachel were to survive, no matter what challenges lay ahead, we would love her unconditionally and use every resource at our disposal to support her and to help her reach her full potential."

This inspiring story of hope and faith is enlightening as to what parents of special needs children face and can accomplish as advocates for their children. "Whether born normally, imperfectly or too soon, each child is part of God's handiwork and a most worthy member of His universe." David's message is simple: "It is our diversity and our differences that make us unique and special."

David leaves us with this thought: "The present moment is a precious gift that each of us is granted to express our love and appreciation to others, live our values and ideals, and make amends or extend forgiveness.... Rachel has inspired me to embrace the present moment and live, laugh, and love."

I hope that you will get a copy of this wonderful book for yourself or for someone you love.

Dr. Loewenstein's story is one of love, survival, and tenacity. He opens his heart as a father and as a spouse to the reader and with eloquence captivates the reader's attention of his family ordeal to have children. The story of Rachel guides the reader to realize that tiny miracles happen in the simplest things. When a premature child survives against all odds and is able to accomplish milestones hardly possibly thought off, that in itself is a miracle.

The Loewenstein family has opened its heart to the readers by being transparent about their experiences and letting us in. Love, dedication, commitment, and acknowledgment of what truly matters in this world is defined every step of the way in the turning of each page.

This is an inspiring love story about how near tragic events transformed a father focus from career to family. It is a powerful reminder of what is truly important. I highly recommend it to other fathers with or without special needs children.

Dr. Loewenstein's story takes the reader by the hand and by the heart and teaches us, yet again, what is most important and most profound. He does this gently and compassionately, particularly important to those of us who take too much of what we have in life for granted. It's as though he held the mirror so we could see our own humanity. Written in a compelling narrative, David helped me open my own senses to feel. with him, some of the beauty and great sorrows of life.

I have had the pleasure ok knowing Dr. Loweinstein f0r 26 years and he is amazing doctor ,friend ,father and husband
If more people could be like him in life the world would be a better place this book tells an amazing story if the joys and sorrow of a couples life

Great reading an uplifting story to say the least !!!

A must read !!!!!

This delightful and heart warming story is a must read for anyone looking for a tale of courage and inspiration. It is one of those books that you can't put down once you begin reading it. It is told in a manner that is both captivating and simple so that the reader easily connects with the characters and feels the pain and triumphs of this family.

The author of "For the Love of Rachel" is a personal friend and I commend his courage and unconditional love for his children. This story provides all parents (and anyone who reads it) the highest standard of love and caring that must be given to one's children and the strength to never give up.