I Remember Running: The Year I Got Everything I Ever Wanted - and ALS [Paperback]

Darcy Wakefield (Author), Jonathan Eig (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 29, 2006

A little over a year ago, Darcy Wakefield was a single, 33-year-old, athletic, workaholic English professor, a vegetarian who had never had a serious health problem or injury. Then she was diagnosed with ALS, and her world turned upside down. I Remember Running is Darcy's story of change and loss and challenges during her first year with ALS, as she struggles to make sense of her diagnosis and redefine herself in the face of this terminal illness. With unflagging courage, wit, and eloquence, Darcy shares what she calls her "fast-forward" life, a life in which she applies for disability, leaves her job, and plans her own funeral as well as meets and moves in with her true love, buys a house, and gives birth to her first child in less time than it takes most of us to accomplish even one of these things. Beautifully written and wholly inspiring, I Remember Running proves that it is possible to live a rich, meaningful life after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. This book will move readers to see the world in a different light.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In October 2003, at age 33, Wakefield was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the incurable, progressive neuromuscular degeneration also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. But the author prefers to call it the Darcy Wakefield Anti-Disease, or DWAD. That's because she sees herself primarily as a Maine community college English professor, not a patient, and this renaming of her condition is one of many attempts to own the disease before it owns her. This chronicle of her life from February 2003 through December 2004 is a spirited look at what a difficult terminal illness can and cannot take away from a person. When it comes to the ability to run, to walk, to write, to hold a child and to speak, ALS prevails. Yet Wakefield wins in regard to loving and being loved, having a child and making a home. Her prose is informal and conspiratorial, inviting readers to share her triumphs, her fears and her frustrations. As time and the disease progress, Wakefield, living what she calls "a fast-forward life," seems wiser, braver and more alive than ever. This meditative diary of living with disease just may make readers feel all that, and grateful, too.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Darcy Wakefield, formerly an English professor at Southern Maine Community College, recieved an MFA in writing from Emerson College as well as an MA in American Studies from SUNY/Buffalo and a BA from Smith. Diagnosed with ALS in 2003, Wakefield lived with her true love, Dr. Steve Stout, and their baby Sam, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, until her passing in December 2005.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (August 29, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569242798
• ISBN-13: 978-1569242797
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #505,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book every woman should read, November 7, 2005

By 

D. O'Neil (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Remember Running: The Year I Got Everything I Ever Wanted-and ALS (Hardcover)

To say I "enjoyed" reading this book seems perverse. I wish there were no cause for "I Remember Running." Rather, it seems appropriate to say I am deeply appreciative to Darcy Wakefield for writing this book. Her prose is one of the many gifts within "I Remember Running." The writing is lyrical, lovely and at times, damned funny.

It would be a mistake to overlook this memoir thinking you cannot relate to the story of someone living with a terminal illness. This book will have meaning for anyone who has reflected on universal questions of human existence. It will resonate with anyone who has ever had a reason -- tragedy, loss, illness -- to give up hope or ask, "Why me?" Wakefield knows better than to try to answer that question. Instead, without a trace of self-pity, she insightfully calls our attention to the every-day, thousand-fold blessings of being alive. She writes fearlessly and poignantly about myriad issues her disease forces her to confront: faith in a higher power, equality in her relationships and her own sense of self-worth.

And there is more. She gives voice to a generation of 30-something women who have struggled with questions of body image, marriage and motherhood, even as they succeed educationally and professionally. Wakefield marches into all of these messy, private places with grace, humor and honesty. You will find yourself laughing out loud. You will probably weep too. You will want to go running. I did. I highly recommend this beautiful book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Year for One with ALS, August 16, 2006

By 

Virginia Allain "(retired librarian)" (Poinciana, FL) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: I Remember Running: The Year I Got Everything I Ever Wanted-and ALS (Hardcover)

An inspiring book for anyone facing disability or a terminal illness. Actually there's a lot that any of us can discover from reading about someone with Wakefield's spirit and attitude.
Wakefield's discovery that she has ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) comes just as she meets Mr. Right. This book recounts her losses (walking, speech) and gains (love, a new home, a long-desired pregnancy).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching and thoughtful, February 28, 2006

By 

R.K. "book lover" (ME United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Remember Running: The Year I Got Everything I Ever Wanted-and ALS (Hardcover)

This book provides a source of strength and humor for anyone, not only those facing a terrible disease. Her easy and accessible style give the reader a clear picture of her daily struggles and triumphs. I have recommended it to my friends as a book about appreciating life, both the peaks and the valleys.