Miles from the Sideline: A Mother's Journey with Her Special Needs Daughter [Hardcover]

Maura Weis (Author), Jessica Trobaugh Temple (Author), Charlie Weis (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2008

Despite some health complications she endured during infancy, little black-haired, blue-eyed Hannah Weis was a resilient toddler full of smiles and laughter. A mama's girl, her favorite place to be was in her mother's arms. But shortly after turning two years old, Hannah's smiles faded and her laughter quieted. Despite her mother's frantic attempt to hold on to her, the Hannah her family once knew slipped away into a fog of emotional, developmental, and social delays.

In Miles from the Sideline, Maura Weis, wife of Charlie Weis, the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame, bravely shares the challenges--as well as the profound joys--of raising their special needs daughter Hannah, who is now twelve years old. A glimpse into their everyday life will both bring tears to your eyes and leave you smiling. Each page is powerful, honest, and emotionally charged as Weis offers her hard-earned insights for the journey to other parents faced with raising a special needs child. Weis also explains why she and her husband were inspired to found Hannah & Friends in order to help other families achieve every parent's dream of happiness for their child and to spread the message of awareness and compassion for people with disabilities. Both absorbing and healing, Miles from the Sideline will speak to anyone whose life has been touched by a child with special needs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Maura Weis tells her story so completely, so honestly, that you can't help but feel this is happening to you and yours. -- Regis Philbin

This book will touch your heart and your soul. -- Lou Holtz

This is a book of inspiration and a must-read for all parents of children with special needs, professionals, and especially those who enjoy a book written with compassion and a joy of living. -- June Groden, Ph.D., Director, The Groden Center

About the Author

Maura Weis is the co-founder and Chair of Hannah & Friends, which she and her husband Charlie Weis, head football coach at the University of Notre Dame, started in 2003 to honor their daughter Hannah and all people with special needs. Maura lived on the East Coast for many years before moving to Notre Dame with Charlie and their children, Charlie Jr. and Hannah. In addition to her dedicated work on behalf of spreading the message of awareness and compassion for people with special needs, she is an accomplished horsewoman. Maura and Charlie's dream is to fund and build a farm for young adults with special needs that will be built in the South Bend area.

Jessica Trobaugh Temple, who wrote the book with Maura Weis, is a 1992 graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a lifelong resident of South Bend, Indiana. She won three journalism awards in her ten years as a writer and graphic designer at The South Bend Tribune. She and her husband Kerry became the parents of triplets in August 2004.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Sorin Books (March 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933495030
• ISBN-13: 978-1933495033
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #571,790 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and heartwarming, March 19, 2008

By 

Catherine Mayrer (Medford, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Miles from the Sideline: A Mother's Journey with Her Special Needs Daughter (Hardcover)

In the last 5 years I've read as many books as possible on autism and cerebral palsey... as one of my boys is autistic, and the other has CP. Some books lay claims to "curing" these disorders, others walk you through how to deal with schools and therapists... Maura Weis' book walks you through her families journey so incredibly honest and real, that I felt by the end of the book that I, too, had the ability to deal with my son's disabilities - that I am not alone - and that I can find peace in God's plan for these boys. Many of my friends who do not have special needs children, found it inspirational in their own journeys with different crosses they bear in their lives. Thank you, Maura, for sharing your story to help others.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smiles from the Sideline for Miles from the Sideline, February 16, 2008

By 

Kathleen A. Smith (Granger, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Miles from the Sideline: A Mother's Journey with Her Special Needs Daughter (Hardcover)

It is rare that I start and finish a book in one sitting. I could not put this one down! Maura Weis shared her experiences as the mother of a special needs child with intense honesty and humility. As she exposed her journey from denial to acceptance, I found myself awed by her transformation from the challenges presented in dealing with her daugher's situation to a spiritual awareness and healing. This metamorphosis allowed Maura to tell her readers why she finds it a privilege to be Hannah's mother. Her accounts transform the reader as well. In the beginning, I could completely understand and relate to the questions she had as a mother. Who to trust? What to do? When to do it? Where to go? Why me or why my child? And as Maura unfolded her story, I also completely understood how she was driven to find the answers to those questions. By the book's end, I was no longer reading Maura's mind, knowing how a mother agonizes for her child and will do anything to make things better. I was peering into her soul, understanding how a mother's love is, indeed, orchestrated by God. It is a symphony of faith, hope, and love. And, as demonstrated by Maura Weis, a mother's love is untiring and indestructible. If you are the parent of a special needs child, this book will no doubt validate all of your utmost concerns and give you incredible hope. And if you are not the parent of a special needs child, this book will give you a new awareness and keen compassion for both the child and the parent. The glimpses of Maura's "black-haired, blue-eyed beauty" will make you long to know Hannah, for you will believe that to know her is to love her. Consider this book a retreat, and a spiritual awakening. It is truly a fabulous read!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deftly written memoir, May 5, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miles from the Sideline: A Mother's Journey with Her Special Needs Daughter (Hardcover)

Before the age of two, little Hannah Weis was just like any other toddler. Bright, happy, resilient, and full of laughter. "Miles from the Sideline: A Mother's Journey with her Special Needs Daughter" is the story of what happened in the following decade where her development suddenly slowed, and how her mother, author Maura Weis, has had to deal with all the turmoil and triumph that comes from raising a daughter who just isn't like everyone else in the world, a daughter with special needs. "Miles from the Sideline: A Mother's Journey with her Special Needs Daughter" is a deftly written memoir that is highly recommended for other parents of special needs children and for community library memoir collections.