Running With Angels: The Inspiring Journey of a Woman Who Turned Personal Tragedy into Triumph Over Obesity [Paperback]

Pamela H. Hansen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2005

The inspiring journey of a woman who turned personal tragedy into triumph over obesity

On a beautiful April morning in 2001, Pamela Hansen decided to do something she hadn’t done for a very long time. She decided to walk. Fearful that she would not be able to take more than a few steps with her morbidly obese body, she was desperate to focus her attention on something other than the tragedies of her life – the death of an infant daughter, the cruel and debilitating autoimmune diseases that had attacked two other children, and finally the stillbirth of a son just a few weeks earlier. The first walk, which lasted just 10 minutes, was the beginning of an amazing journey that ultimately led to a 100-pound weight loss (without surgery or pills) and the fulfillment of her dream to run a marathon.

In Running with Angels, Pam shares both her struggles and her success, using the marathon race as a metaphor for facing life’s challenges. She candidly discusses the pain of living with obesity and the hopelessness that accompanies it. More important, she offers practical suggestions for anyone trying to reach a goal, particularly a goal of weight loss, and shows how small steps over time can help you realize your dreams.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Don't dismiss this as just another weight-loss memoir. Yes, first-time author Hansen does describe the long road she traveled in losing 100 pounds through diet and exercise (no surgeries, diet pills or quick fixes here). But even more affecting is the story about why she gained the weight in the first place: her struggles with food began when she was recovering from the grief of losing an infant daughter to a rare heart defect. As Hansen increasingly turned to food for comfort, she imagined that its solace would help her get through the dark days after the tragedy. Little did she know that the next years would be filled with more heartache: two of her other daughters were diagnosed with crippling auto-immune disorders, and another infant was stillborn. Hansen shares how her Mormon faith helped her feel close to Christ even in these excruciating circumstances, and taught her to look forward to a future reunion with her family in heaven. Shortly after that last terrible loss, she began walking every day and gradually lost the pounds through the help of Weight Watchers and, eventually, marathon running. Readers will enjoy cheering her on toward the finish line even as they reach for the Kleenex to wipe away tears of compassion. (Apr.)
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Review

Highly motivational - Loved it!, March 09, 2005 By Customer I loved this book. I have struggled with my weight and it gave me the motivation to get going and try again. It helped me to know I wasn't alone in the thoughts and feelings I had had and I knew if she could do it, I can too. Great motivating book! Loved it! Will Read it Again and Again..., August 15, 2007 By connie I loved this book! I saw Pam at TOFW last October in Phoenix and was so inspired by her story. She helped motivate me to continue to lose weight over the last year and then to run in the 5K that she sponsors. To date, I have gotten rid of-not lost, because if they are only lost, you can find them again- ) 97 lbs by learning how to eat right and exercise more. You can do it if you make up your mind that you are worth doing it for! Thank you Pam for sharing your touching story. For those fighting obesity, November 12, 2008 By SM Gives insight into the life of those who fight with obesity. Repeats same advice here and there throughout the book which was redundant. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 211 pages
• Publisher: Shadow Mountain (April 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590383818
• ISBN-13: 978-1590383810
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #176,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness > Marathons

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, but some minor changes could have been made..., June 28, 2005

By 

Brosamj (East Coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Running With Angels: The Inspiring Journey of a Woman Who Turned Personal Tragedy into Triumph Over Obesity (Paperback)

To be totally honest, I probably would have given 3.5 stars if that was possible with Amazon's rating system. I enjoyed the book, but there were some things that I wish that writer Pam Hansen had done differently. But I will not take away any of her accomplishments...as she is truly a fighter and she sounds like a wonderful mother and wife.

First off, the cover is one of the truely great covers on a book. It is a remarkable cover and I love it. It shows a runner running by a lake with a reflection of two kids running, following, after her. This is one of the few covers which can really tell the whole story. Bravo.

The book deals with the Authors tragedies and obesity over the past 20 years. One of her children died one day after being born due to complications...the other child was a stillborn. She has two other kids that have suffered greatly through two separate medical conditions. It is heartbreaking. She spends a good deal of the first third of the book discussing how she dealt with these tragedies. I cannot imagine what she went through, what her husband went through and what her family went through.

The next two-thirds of the book deal with her obesity. It is told through stories of the humiliation that she felt and how she struggled to deal with her weight gain. She then discusses how she began to lose the weight. Good stuff. My biggest problem is that I wanted to hear about her weight gain and her weight loss, but I wanted more time spent on how running helped her deal with the loss of her children. It is briefly discussed...but I wanted to learn more about how the family coped with these losses. She provides a lot of strength to people dealing with being over-weight, I just wished she had spent more time discussing how to cope with the loss of family.

I sometimes felt that the story was a mish-mash collection of stories of when she was over-weight. It often felt dis-jointed and out of sync. But, with that said, I enjoyed how she started each chapter off with a progression of her running the SLC marathon. It was a nice tool to bring the story together and see her progress.

The book is worth a read and I will recommend it to others. Pam Hansen and her husband have had a lot of struggles. I was impressed how they stuck together and got through the loss of kids and the weight loss struggle. It was a nice effort and a good read. Well done.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!!, February 26, 2006

By 

Renee Schultz "Renee" (North Dakota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Running With Angels: The Inspiring Journey of a Woman Who Turned Personal Tragedy into Triumph Over Obesity (Paperback)

This book had me from the beginning. I received this book as a gift because I like to run. Pam has an unbelievable story, very touching. She brings you in and you are part of her world. You strugle with her, triumph with her, and feel what she is feeling. It is a great, inspirational story for anyone (not just those who are overweight).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Inspirational!, May 24, 2005

By 

A. McClellan (Springville, UT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Running With Angels: The Inspiring Journey of a Woman Who Turned Personal Tragedy into Triumph Over Obesity (Paperback)

I loved this book, it is so good to see how some one can overcome such tragadies, and make the changes Pam has made. A must read for any one trying to overcome obesity!