Customer Reviews

A Promise is a Promise: An Almost Unbelievable Story of a Mother's Unconditional Love and What It Can Teach Us

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Rarely are we so blessed as to glimpse into the life of a person who truly understands the meaning of unconditional love. This unassuming, genuine love is truly an inspiration to anyone at anytime. A must read for all.

My view of life, and how I perceive its daily struggles has forever been changed. All who read this book will be touched by its message, and wish to share the greater truth that lies within as examplified by the lives of Kaye and Eduarda. In addiiton, all of the profits go to these two wonderful people who carry a great financial debt. Wayne Dyer wrote this book in homage to these two women who are living examples of unconditional love.

Wayne Dyer does a great job of describing what these two incredible women have been through. This is probably the greatest display of unconditional Love I have ever witnessed

This is one of the most inspiring stories I have read. I had the opportunity to see Kaye Oberra on a rare appearance she made in the Detroit area. There was a feeling of serenity and even joy about her. After I read the book I couldn't help but believe That Edwarda will awaken to further the message of her life. Thank You for this lovely book!

This book makes you thankful for the things you have and reaffirms your faith in God. It is about doing God's will and being glad for the opportunity. I enjoyed this book and pray this family is blessed for their commitment to God.

I noticed someone below who was curious as how one could keep tabs on the story of Edwarda O'Bara..
There is a website dedicated to them at www.edwardaobara.com
with pictures and messages from the mother.This is the only thing I can really add to the reviews below.

After Wayne Dyer (of whom I am a big fan!) wrote about this woman and indeed, wrote this book with his wife, I was curious to read it. Even though after reading the summary of it, and looking at Edwarda O'bara's website, I had some questions.

Anyway, I did not find this inspirational at all, and quite honestly, I think that Kaye O'Bara has made herself into a martyr. Having worked as a nurse, and done homecare with patients, I cannot for the life of me figure out why she has had to sacrifice so much to keep her daughter alive. Never leave the house? Feed her every two hours? Please, give me a break.

There are these very commonly used devices called feeding pumps, and they are very sensitive, and can deliver as much or as little food as you want per hour--they are used on premature babies and can deliver as little as 1 cc an hour for heaven's sakes. So why isn't Edwarda on a feeding pump at night? Why is Kaye sleeping only 90 minutes at a time and feeding her daughter every two hours? Sorry, but even the most brittle diabetics do not have to be fed that often. And with a feeding pump, she can sleep all night and keep her daughter fed.

Now, she feeds Edwarda every two hours round the clock. Why? What person, even a diabetic in a coma, needs to eat that often? Again, if Edwarda's metabolism is that unstable, the feeding pump would work wonders. And why does she need to check her blood sugar and give insulin every 4 hours? Diabetics generally don't set their alarm clocks in the middle of the night to check their blood sugar. You would think that after all this time, and with the same routine, Edwarda's schedule would become routine and she could go through the night without insulin. And there are also insulin pumps which can keep blood sugar stable. Sorry, Kaye, but you know that it is quite possible for you to sleep through the night--or at least, 4-6 hours at a stretch.

And her visions of Mary? Well, I am a believer in apparitions and I do believe that saints, Jesus, Mary, etc, have appeared before people. However, I think that Kaye is hallucinating from exhaustion, and has in her mind that Edwarda is somehow "blessed" and that she has a divine mission.

Kaye's decision to keep Edwarda at home is certainly noble, and she says that is because she made a "promise" to her daughter never to leave her. Uh, I highly doubt that this is what her daughter had in mind. When she fell ill, she was undoubtedly frightened and made her mother promise that she wouldn't leave her alone, probably referring to leaving her in the hospital by herself! I think Edwarda would be horrified to see how her mother has martyred herself on her behalf, on the basis of words uttered by a frightened teenager. Kaye has taken these words to mean that she is supposed to sacrifice her life so that her daughter (who I believe has long gone from this realm)will not be "alone."

Kaye keeps insisting the Edwarda is going to wake up, but its been 37 years. I think it's time to face reality, and maybe enjoy what time she has left in her own life. Sorry, but I found this book extremely depressing and Kaye to be a little unbalanced and she needs to let go. I'm not talking about allowing Edwarda to die, but to place her in a hospice or long term care facility, and maybe spend some time with her other child who she has grossly neglected for the past 37 years. Take a walk on the beach, go to church, sleep all night. She can visit Edwarda everyday and make sure she is being taken care of, she has sacrificed enough of her life, and as I said previously, I am sure that this is not what any daughter would expect from her mother.

I'm glad that I took this out of the library, as I would not recommend it to anyone.

I happen to have known the O'Bara family since I was in kindergarten... I went to school with Edwarda for eight years and knew her mother as my teacher. Dr. Dyer did a great job showing the devotion and care of Kaye with Edwarda. Whether one agrees with her decision or not, you will have to admire her courage, tenacity, and devotion to her children.

There are so many good things I can say about this book, but what I have been thinking about since I read it, is when I see the news talking about Mrs. Schiavo's ordeal...After reading about Edwarda and her mother, Kaye, I was truly overwhelmed at the thought of what one person would do for another. I am a mother of 3 boys and I would do anything for them. Maybe after reading about Kaye doing what she has done for her daughter, only reassures me that beautiful, very selfless miracles do exist and I am more sure I could draw strength from this.

At first, with the Schiavo case, I thought it was rather selfish to keep someone alive who really didn't want to be...Then after reading Wayne Dyer's book about Edwarda & her mother, I re-thought my options, mainly determining that nobody on this earth has the right to declare someone's life over, unless it is written out somewhere by that person, and even that is questionable at this point. I think God is the only One who has this say in such a manner.

I'm so glad that Kaye had not given up on her daughter and that she has basically told the rest of the world that she is here to do this for her, at whatever cost, and without concern of what other people think about how she's going about doing so.

I only wish there was a way to find out the current status on this story...How do I find out where things stand? If someone knows, please update me...I would appreciate that.

Oh my gosh, this book made me want to cry! Dr. Wayne Dyer really knows how to tell this story of love, compassion and caring. What an inspiration! After reading it I just had to scan the internet to find out more of what happened with this family, it moved me so much! If you think your mother doesn't love you, then you really have to read this book.