Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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).

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.

We here in Maine have been enjoying not only the words but also the voice of Darcy Wakefield on our local public radio station. She has inspired some "driveway moments" as she has recounted how her life has changed and evolved. I would sit in the car listening as my children escaped into the house through all doors, shivering a bit, thinking about the last time I went running, and about Darcy.

I was saddened to learn of Darcy's passing - Dec. 10, 2005. Darcy's siter is quoted in the Portland Press Herald as saying:

"We only lost her in body. Her spirit and her words are still out there, and they are still impacting people."

In the first half of 2003 Darcy Wakefield, age 33, began to seriously assess her life. A relationship had broken up and while she was happy with her roles as runner, swimmer, writer and college English professor, she longed for more. A child, she realized, was essential to her; a man, important but not essential. She took a bilateral approach to her goals, registering with dating services and investigating sperm banks. Darcy had the magnificent good fortune to meet her soulmate in a Denver doctor named Steve, nearly 2,100 miles from her home in southern Maine.

As her relationship with Steve grew in strength, Darcy's strong runner's legs began to weaken. In October of that year she was diagnosed with motor neuron syndrome -- ALS -- Lou Gehrig's disease. This fatal but unpredictable disease kicked Darcy's life into "fast-forward." Steve moved to Maine to be with her, they began house hunting, and early in 2004 Darcy was pregnant.

This journal-like little book is Darcy's exploration of her new world. The short essays are dated and each is named with a present participle that celebrates her new appreciation of life in the here-and-now -- "Committing;" "Expecting;" "Moving;" "Helping;" "Loving;" and the poignant final section, "Birthing," in which she describes the birth of their son Samuel.

While Darcy hopes for a remission of her disease, her thoughtful writing explores the twin realities of her blessings and her losses. Within a year she loses the ability not just to run, bike and swim, but eventually to walk, write and speak. Along the way are wonderful lessons about how to live life joyfully and understand the meaning of disability. "I hate asking for help," Darcy writes. "I am ... a Mainer by birth and disposition, which is to say that I am an independent, stubborn, do-it-my-way-and-by-myself kind of woman, the sort of person who hates being dependent on others."

When the simple things that Darcy took for granted are lost to her, she finds a way to accommodate the loss. In her former life as a busy athletic woman, for example, she rarely took time for manicures. Now unable to do her own nails, she begins to have them done regularly. She writes, "The real truth of my ALS is that it takes daily acts of courage to get up, live the day fully, be grateful for what I have, and to find the humor and grace and the pleasure, yes, pleasure, in not being able to clip my own nails." And as cooking and even eating become difficult for her, she describes her new way of eating: "Slowly. Mindfully. Thankfully."

There is nothing self-pitying about I Remember Running: The Year I Got Everything I Ever Wanted - and ALS; nor is there a false gaiety or denial about her life with ALS. Darcy Wakefield writes intelligently and with the utmost courage about her daily accommodations to weakness and to getting everything she ever wanted, all in the space of little more than a year. Far from being a sorrowful read, this little book may be the most heart-warming and thought-provoking thing you will read this year. Some of Darcy's essays were produced for Maine Public Radio and she made fund-raising public appearances. When she could no longer read her work, her sister Betsy read to the audience. In her last appearance Darcy sat in her wheelchair while Betsy spoke her words: ''You may very well be one of those people who's sitting on a great story, waiting for the right time to write it. Here's my challenge to you. Write now. Write here. Write your first sentence."

Although it's outside the time scale of this brave little book, readers should know that Darcy Wakefield died in December 2005, three months after this book was released. Her partner, Dr. Steve Stout, lives in Maine with their young son Sam.

If you've ever lost or loved -- and who hasn't? -- Darcy Wakefield's intensely personal story will touch your soul.

Linda Bulger, 2008

Darcy Wakefield's memoir of her first year with ALS is beautifully written, and one finds inspiriation with the turn of every page. What one would imagine to be a dark tale, is instead, full of light and the breath of life. Darcy faces her challenges with, optimisim, honesty, and, a keen sense of humor. I never would have thought one could fill so much living into one year, and that she does.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was honored to be Darcy's college roommate for several years and she was a beloved friend. That said, her book is a wonder. Darcy's ability to find the joy and see the poetry of life is something that I always loved about her and that she shares in this book. Her voice is unique and authentic and her storytelling has roots that go down into the earth. Few books have touched me as deeply as this.

I HAVE NOTICED THAT SOME OF THESE REVIEWS ARE FROM PEOPLE WHO KNEW DARCY. FROM THIS, I AM SURE THAT HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS WILL CHECK UP ON THE REVIEWS ON AMAZON FROM TIME TO TIME. TEN YEARS FROM NOW, WHEN SAMUEL READS THIS HE CAN FEEL PROUD OF HIS MOTHER AND THE LIFE SHE GAVE HIM. THIS BOOK BY DARCY IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT DOWN. I HAVE A 1 YEAR OLD AND I AM ALONE THIS WEEKEND TAKING CARE OF HIM AND I MADE TIME TO READ THIS BOOK WHILE HE NAPPED A COUPLE TIMES AND FINISHED THIS BOOK AFTER HIS BEDTIME. AFTER READING THIS BOOK, I WILL ALWAYS REALIZE HOW LUCKY I AM, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE SUFFERED FROM MANY PHYSICAL PROBLEMS THROUGH MY LIFE, NOTHING COMPARES TO WHAT DARCY WENT THROUGH AND IT MAKES ME HAPPY THAT SHE GOT TO MEET HER SON BEFORE SHE WENT ON TO THE NEXT WORLD. ONLY A PARENT COULD UNDERSTAND THAT FEELING.

ALSO, I AM SURE YOU WILL AT TIMES FEEL AN EMPTINESS IN YOUR HEART, SAMUEL, BUT I HAVE A GIFT TO HELP YOU THROUGH YOUR TOUGH TIMES. I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHY I RECOMMEND THESE GIFTS, BUT ORDER THEM OR CALL ME AND I'LL PURCHASE THEM FOR YOU! I MEAN IT.

ORDER THE BOOKS AND READ THEM IN THIS ORDER.
1.CLOSER TO THE LIGHT BY MELVIN MORSE
2.RETURN FROM TOMORROW BY GEORGE RITCHIE
3.AND IF YOU LIKE THOSE TWO FOR MORE,,,READ THE STARTER, LIFE AFTER LIFE BY MOODY.

I HAVE READ HUNDREDS UPON HUNDREDS OF BOOKS AND I RECOMMEND THESE TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO'S EVER LIVED.



YOUR MOTHER IS AN INSPIRATION TO ANYONE WHO COMES ACROSS HER STORY. GOD BLESS HER.

Years ago I took an essay writing class with Darcy Wakefield. She was an aspiring writer and a pleasant person. I'm sorry that her first success at publishing came under such tragic circumstances. Reading her memoir, I wish I had known her better. She is smart, funny, and real. I'm glad she found personal happiness, motherhood, and spirituality before she died.

This book was a fast read. I smiled, I felt sad but I mainly felt pride and respect for the way Darcy moved on with her life after the diagnosis. I often work 60 hours a week and rush through life not taking the time to actively appreciate nature, my body, the blessings I have and this book definitely has me pausing to reflect and evaluate my own life. Would I have the same courage if I got the same news? What would stick if I threw everything against a wall as the author does? I need to stop making no time excuses and get on my bike, use my legs and thank God that I still have that ability that we all take for granted. I hope her son knows how much he was wanted and that his mom is incredibly brave.