Unexpected Blessings (Kindle Edition)

by Roxanne Black (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“Roxanne has learned, no doubt the hard way, that some of us inherit the arduous task of paving the road and leveling the bumps for others. Citizens of sickness seek community. She understands. This young woman’s journey offers us a roadmap, for which I am grateful.”
—Richard M. Cohen, N.Y. Times Best-selling author of Blindsided and Strong at the Broken Places.

“Life happened to Roxanne while she was busy making plans. Her heart felt experience reminds us of the sacred experiences we all share." – Dr. Mehmet Oz

“Roxanne Black is a dream of a writer – right up there with Anne Lamott. Unexpected Blessings is full of light, humor, and soul. It is not just helpful for those facing illness, it is a great read!” – Christiane Northrup

“Unexpected Blessings describes the heroic journey of an extraordinary woman, who has turned her experience with chronic illness into a vehicle for healing others. Throughout history the ‘wounded healer’ has been the most effective healer, and Roxanne Black is one of the greatest examples of a wounded healer I know. Anyone will be uplifted by her message of hope, courage, and renewal.” – Larry Dossey, MD, author of Healing Words and The Power of Premonitions

“I have known and worked with Roxanne Black for many years. She is a true survivor and has been one of my teachers and someone I truly admire. Her attitude and will to live are contagious. I feel her desire to help others who are wounded reveals how important our relationships and connections are to our survival. In love's service only the wounded soldier can serve. Read this inspiring book and let it guide you in your life and surviving your difficulties.”
- Bernie Siegel, MD author of Love, Medicine & Miracles, Help Me to Heal and 365 Prescriptions for the Soul

“With wisdom and grace, Roxanne Black shows us that we can find laughter amid tears, and a sense of deep optimism in spite of our struggles and pain. UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS is deeply moving.”
—Deepak Chopra, author of The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore

“Roxanne has learned, no doubt the hard way, that some of us inherit the arduous task of paving the road and leveling the bumps for others. Citizens of sickness seek community. She understands. This young woman’s journey offers us a roadmap, for which I am grateful.”
—Richard M. Cohen, N.Y. Times Best-selling author of Blindsided and Strong at the Broken Places.

“Life happened to Roxanne while she was busy making plans. Her heart felt experience reminds us of the sacred experiences we all share." – Dr. Mehmet Oz

“Roxanne Black is a dream of a writer – right up there with Anne Lamott. Unexpected Blessings is full of light, humor, and soul. It is not just helpful for those facing illness, it is a great read!” – Christiane Northrup

“Unexpected Blessings describes the heroic journey of an extraordinary woman, who has turned her experience with chronic illness into a vehicle for healing others. Throughout history the ‘wounded healer’ has been the most effective healer, and Roxanne Black is one of the greatest examples of a wounded healer I know. Anyone will be uplifted by her message of hope, courage, and renewal.”
– Larry Dossey, MD, author of Healing Words and The Power of Premonitions

“I have known and worked with Roxanne Black for many years. She is a true survivor and has been one of my teachers and someone I truly admire. Her attitude and will to live are contagious. I feel her desire to help others who are wounded reveals how important our relationships and connections are to our survival. In love's service only the wounded soldier can serve. Read this inspiring book and let it guide you in your life and surviving your difficulties.”
- Bernie Siegel, MD author of Love, Medicine & Miracles, Help Me to Heal and 365 Prescriptions for the Soul

Product Description
"When Roxanne Black was only fifteen years old, she was diagnosed with lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease that can attack the vital organs of the body. As a teenager with a frightening and sometimes life-threatening disease, she yearned to connect with others who knew firsthand what she was experiencing. So she started a support group from her hospital room to bring patients together. That group now has become Friends??? Health Connection, a nationwide community that matches people with similar conditions, from cancer and lupus to paralysis and chronic pain and more. Along the way, Roxanne Black has inspired millions.Roxanne???s mission each day for the last twenty years has been to turn her ???bad news??? diagnosis into something positive. As she says, ???When I might wonder ???Why me?,??? I know the answer: ???To help others.?????? Unexpected Blessings is an extension of that goal, bringing to life not only Black???s moving personal story but also the lessons of courage she???s learned from all the famous and not-so-famous people she???s met over the years. From a poignant encounter with Christopher Reeve to her intimate experiences with patients around the globe standing strong in the face of extraordinary challenges, these are stories of heroism and hope. They are also reminders of the healing that comes when we can connect from the heart.Warm and down-to-earth, Unexpected Blessings offers support and encouragement to anyone touched by illness or just facing a difficult time in life. It is a powerful testimony to the strength of the human spirit."

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 287 KB
• Print Length: 240 pages
• Publisher: Avery (October 16, 2008)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001GNYTQQ
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,402 in Kindle Store (See Bestsellers in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book Itself Is an Unexpected Blessing, October 20, 2008

By	John Langan (Voorhees, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Unexpected Blessings: Finding Hope and Healing in the Face of Illness (Hardcover)

This book is a winner. I started reading it on Sunday morning, thinking I'd cover a couple of chapters to begin with, and then just kept reading. Through her own story and the stories of a number of other remarkable people, Roxanne Black celebrates our humanity. People can be something else--they take heavy hits but in those hits can be found, as stated in the very apt title to Roxanne's book, unexpected blessings. This is not a Pollyanna book--it looks at hard realities in life, and in the midst of pain and suffering and the terrible truth that life is not fair, it affirms life and the extraordinary power and grace of which humans are capable. It is hard for me to imagine any reader who would not find reward and inspiration in Unexpected Blessings. The book itself is an unexpected blessing; I cannot recommend it more highly.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Out of Suffering From Lupus Grew Friends' Health Connection, October 16, 2008

By	Kelly J. Jadon "Founder: www.BasilAndSpice.com" (Florida) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Unexpected Blessings: Finding Hope and Healing in the Face of Illness (Hardcover)

From: www.BasilAndSpice.com
Author & Book Views On A Healthy Life!

Book Review: Unexpected Blessings: Finding Hope and Healing in the Face of Illness (Avery, 2008) by Roxanne Black

A FirstLook Review

Roxanne Black is the Founder and Executive Director of Friends' Health Connection, begun when she was only a high school student, shortly after she was diagnosed with Lupus. Her deep felt desire was to share a camaraderie with another teenager with Lupus. Friends' Health Connection evolved from that point, connecting people with various diseases and conditions to each other. Roxanne Black is a Rutgers graduate, has been appointed the 268th Daily Point of Light by former President George Bush, received a medal from former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, and was named by USA Today while in college one of the top eighteen college students in the country.

Unexpected Blessings has received praise from authors Richard Cohen, Mehmet Oz, M.D., Deepak Chopra, Nancy Snyderman,M.D, Larry Dossey, M.D., Bernie Siegel, M.D., and Christiane Northrup, M.D.

Unexpected Blessings is the humbly-told autobiography of the story of Roxanne Black. In the book, Roxanne tells about her suffering, the role of her supportive mother, and the everyday blessings she has received. Overwhelmed with self-misery shortly after her shocking diagnosis, her mother suggested to her, "Maybe you were meant to help others," propelling Roxanne forward into a lifetime of service to those in need of a friend. Out of this intense time of suffering grew Friends' Health Connection.

There are several themes throughout Unexpected Blessings, focusing on mutual understanding, support for those in need, compassion for others both near and far, unconditional love, the necessity of listening, the healthy benefits of laughter, and hope--easily given and devastating to be taken away.

Roxanne states that mutual support and understanding result in taking the time to listen to others. This she says is the foundation of her work and life. She follows Einstein's thoughts in believing that life itself is a miracle. Comparing herself with those less fortunate, Roxanne recognizes that though she's been through some really tough times, she is still able to walk, dance, move, and live a life of blessing to others.

Happiness, Roxanne says is "savoring our journey in the middle of living it." For her it is recognition that money does not purchase contentment, but instead comes after doing something to help another through volunteering, offering support, or just being available. By giving beyond herself, Roxanne has discovered not only herself, but has experienced the benefit of understanding others. Roxanne Black's selflessness is an inspiration to all who can and should, and to those who can and do. We need more Roxanne Blacks.

In the considerate way of Roxanne Black, always thinking of others, she has dedicated Unexpected Blessings to her mother--Frances Black; her sister--Bonnie, who donated a kidney to Roxanne; to an eight-month-old baby whose kidneys were donated to Roxanne; and to her faithful husband Leo.

5 Stars

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down!!, January 9, 2009

By	LIZARD "LIZARD" (RI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unexpected Blessings: Finding Hope and Healing in the Face of Illness (Hardcover)

I was in my local Barnes and Noble when I saw this book and was instantly taken back to a day, about 12 years ago, when I first learned about Roxanne and Friends' Health Connection. I was eager to read her story, but this book is so much more than that. It's a very well-written gift to anyone who has experienced a chronic health issue in any capacity--self, spouse, child, or even parent. She is honest, knows how and when to laugh about illness, and is a breath of fresh air amidst all the gloom and doom we often come across in tales of battling health problems.

Diagnosed at 15 with Lupus, she began to long for connections with others who knew how she felt. After forming a local group, she began to see the need to open up to anyone facing a health challenge and founded FHC while still a teenager. This wonderful group is now online: www.friendshealthconnection.org and is an amazing gift to all of us from a courageous young woman who could have decided to fold up in self-pity but chose instead to use her experience to help others learn how to truly LIVE--not just cope--with chronic illness.

Please pick up this book if you or someone you love struggles with any health challenge at all. It'll inspire you, give you strength, make you laugh, give you hope, put a spring in your step, and most important of all, it will reassure you that you aren't alone in your struggle.