Customer Reviews

Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery & My Return to the NFL

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I am an unadulterated sports fanatic, but that's not why I bought this book. I have nothing but admiration for the New England Patriots, from the ownership, to the coach, to the team. But I am not a Patriots fan. WHAT I AM IS: A BRAIN TUMOR SURVIVOR! I am blessed to be alive, and I thank the Lord everyday, and try to help anyone who is going to be going through such an ordeal that I can. So the reason I bought this book, is because I'm nothing but a blessed "Average Joe". Though I try to help anyone I can, because I'm an "Average Joe", I can only help one person, here and there, at a time. But when I, and the world, heard what Tedy went through, though it was a different frightening, life changing, and or ending, medical challenge, than I faced, I wanted to read his story, to see, knowing his celebrity, how he described the effect on his life, his family, his spiritual beliefs, and with my near-death experience, I wanted to see, if he really let "us" inside.

Tedy quickly leads us through his pre-stroke life, pulling no punches, warts and all. He tells of his parents divorce, and how if he was with his Father for a weekend, his Father railed about his mother. When Tedy was with his mother, she railed about his Father. When Tedy openly admits he had a drinking problem, that kept him from being the kind of Father and husband he wanted to be, he stopped. No excuses, no whoa's me! He just quit. In other words, the reader starts to realize that Tedy is a real man, a real human being, unlike so many of these other pampered, millionaire athletes, that figure the rules of human decency don't apply to them.

When Tedy had a stroke, while an active member of the three-time Super Bowl champion Patriots, obviously his whole world is turned upside down. But more important than playing football, was the fact that Tedy couldn't lift and play and wrestle with his kids. As Tedy miraculously improved physically, he started to consider, what a few months before, would have been impossible to even discuss; playing football again. This caused an enormous rift between him and his wife, and once again, Tedy doesn't try to hide it from the public, he dedicates a chapter to it. When I faced death, and was blessed with life, people asked me if I looked at God different, or prayed more after my surgery. I said I believed and prayed before, and believed and prayed after. I said I had an old saying: "Don't pray when it rains, if you don't pray when the sun shines!" Tedy, in his own way, said basically the same thing. Tedy is currently active in educating people about strokes, and I hope he continues to take advantage of the large stage he has. I will continue to do the best I can, trying to help one person at a time. I got what I wanted out of this book, because Tedy opened his private life to the world. Football books are a dime a dozen, but open honesty from men like Tedy is priceless.

If you only read one book about a sports star this year, I recommend Never Give Up. This book is Tedy's way of answering the many letters of encouragement and questions he received about his experience of having and recovering completely from a stroke, the first NFL player to do so and return to regular play in the following years.

I had the good fortune to attend the Buffalo Bills game at Gillette Stadium in 2005 when Tedy Bruschi returned to the team. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life . . . as the cheers boomed for miles when he was introduced and everyone held their breaths in silence whenever he made a hit or was in a pile-up. Everyone there was praying for Tedy and his family, hoping that it would be all right. And it was. Thank God!

Rarely do sports present us with role models for being good people these days, but Tedy Bruschi is the exception. Whether you are a child, a recovering stroke patient, or a middle-aged child who loves football, Tedy Bruschi's life and thoughts will make you feel good and teach you something you need to know. Michael Holley is one of our best sports writers, and he takes Tedy's unvarnished integrity and polishes it to a bright message containing many valuable lessons. A portion of the proceeds from the book are being donated to the American Stroke Association.

If you think you know all about Tedy Bruschi, you are wrong. Read this book and you'll realize that there's more to the man than being a hard-working middle linebacker for the Patriots who has recovered from a stroke and is a good family man. Never Give Up provides a philosophy of life that anyone can learn from . . . especially the parts about overcoming emotion and fear to do something that no one has ever done before.

I especially appreciated the candor in the book about the difficulties that his wife, Heidi, and he had in deciding to try to return to football after the stroke. Most people would have covered that up, but Tedy shares it full-throttle knowing that most families will be concerned about the risks of stroke patients becoming physically active again.

If you don't know what the symptoms of a stroke are, they are in the book. Read and remember those symptoms: They could save the life of someone you love.

Naturally, the book explains in detail what happened during 2005 when Tedy had and recovered from his stroke. But you'll also learn about Tedy's youth, his family, how he came to play football, and ended up with the Patriots. The book continues on to describe the 2006 season as well. There's also good behind-the-scenes material about how Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick handled Tedy's initial plans to retire and adjusted to his desire to return to football.

The book has some priceless color photographs of Tedy both as victor and while leaving the hospital, including the famous shot of giving a cold shower to Bill and Steve Belichick in the Super Bowl.

The book opens with a beautiful foreword by Tom Brady that explains what's so special about Tedy.

If you don't already have a 54 jersey, this book will make you want to get and wear one.

God bless Tedy Bruschi and his family!

I flew through this book because it was so fascinating. Tedy Bruschi had it all,a great wife and family,great teamates,money,fans, adulation,and three Super Bowl rings he had earned the hard way,and he was cut down by a stroke 48 hours after going to the Pro Bowl with his teammate Tom Brady who wrote the forward.Without spoiling it for you, I can tell you that he made a great comeback to the NFL and he and his co-author Michael Holley give you great insight into the heart and mind of a true champion NFL linebacker.This guy has a great attitude about life and you better take notes!A fantastic book and I'm positive it will be a huge seller,especially if the Pats make it back to the Super Bowl this year,which they probably will do.

Tedy Bruschi has always been someone I've admired since he became a Patriot. I look up to him for many reasons. He's a loving husband, a caring father, and one of the best football players of all time! What makes him such a wonderful person is his outlook on life. He takes misfortunes and turns them into something positive. This book will let you see just how strong Tedy is. He didn't give in to his stroke, instead he took it head on, which is why I will forever be his number one fan. I'm in a wheelchair and have been my entire life. I've never let anyone get the best of me and I never will. It's just not who I am. Tedy has the same outlook on life as I do, which he says it best with the title of his book, "Never Give Up!" He didn't give up. He struggled with his health, his career, and his family, but it made him stronger. He explains how he was able to put his life back together with the support of his wife. She never left his side, even when things were tough between them. Tedy doesn't try to hide the fact that he had days when all he wanted to do is cry and he did. However, that didn't last long. He realized he had to fight to get better, because he was the only one that could do it for him. Tedy is also a man of God and a man who's happy with what he has in life, which is an amazing family. He doesn't long for material things in life, because he gets his reward everyday when he's holding his wife and sons. This book will let you get to know Tedy, the family man, as well as Tedy, the football player. There are few people in this world who has a way of making you feel special with just a smile, and Tedy is one of those people. He sees everyone as an equal and he believes that anyone can overcome any obstacle, if you set your mind to it. He did, and so can you!

Tammy

"Never Give Up" was a great book. Bruschi is an inspiration to everyone!
The book is a really quick, easy read. He doesn't bog you down with a bunch of facts. The story moves along really well. Whether you like the Pats or not, everyone should read this book. It's about courage, family, overcoming fear, and perseverance.

This book was interesting as I wanted to see what it felt like for a fit athlete like Bruschi to experience a life-altering experience. Having a stroke would be a scary experience and it would not be expected from a young man in good shape, but it happened to Bruschi.

He pulls no punches in talking about his fears and his feelings and I found the book to be a good and quick read.

What else can I say, this book is well written and it is a great story of a real American Hero!

Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery & My Return to the NFL

This book was the best I have read in a long time. It was close to home and made us all realize what a great person Tedy is. It increases people's motivation to recover and to know that it can indeed happen.

Excellent book, Michael Holley brings out the human side of the stroke and recovery of Teddy Bruschi. A must READ

This is a very good book. I found this book to be informative, inspirational and interesting! It's not really a football book per se, but more of a story about how he came back from a stroke. It moves along good and would highly recommend it to anyone who has a disability and who wants to fight back from it.