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Incurable Optimist

Living with Illness and Chronic Hope

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Perfect for readers moved by Between Two Kingdoms, this life-affirming memoir of a young woman's sudden autoimmune kidney failure reveals a resilient journey of chronic illness, unfailing love, and moving forward with joy.

JENNIFER CRAMER-MILLER was a twenty-two-year-old with a promising job, charming boyfriend, and cozy Seattle apartment. Then she was diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease, and suddenly, rather than planning for a bright future, she found herself soaking a hospital pillow with tears.

THAT DAY, Cramer-Miller crossed over from wellness to chronic illness: from thriving to kidney failure. Her chances of survival hinged upon expert doctors, selfless strangers, and benevolent loved ones. But what kind of life would that be?

SPANNING TWO-PLUS DECADES and four kidney transplants, this family love story explores the tightrope of uncertainty, the will to survive, and the determination to find joy. Cramer-Miller shines a bright light on the power of people helping people with a story that will inspire you to hug the humans you love. Because sometimes, it's the sorrows that threaten to pull us apart that ultimately unite us with hope.

Glowing Reviews

"...a knockout memoir on living with a life-threatening kidney disease.... openhearted.... There's plenty of wisdom in these pages."

Publishers Weekly, starred review

". . . energetic, well-observed prose . . . Her account of her journey through illness and healing is unfailingly entertaining . . ."

—Kirkus Reviews

"This book is an inspiration. Read it to find your own bravery or salute the bravery of Jennifer Cramer-Miller."

Delia Ephron, author of Left on Tenth: A Second Chance of Life and screenwriter of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

 

 

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from May 15, 2023
      Cramer-Miller debuts with a knockout memoir on living with a life-threatening kidney disease. In 1987, Cramer-Miller was 22 and living with a friend in Seattle, excited to embark on life after college. Seeking treatment for symptoms of fatigue and skin puffiness, she’s diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, which causes inflammation in the kidneys’ filters (since then she has had four kidney transplants, with a fifth on the way). Early in the course of the illness, words from her father and a stack of self-help books nudge Cramer-Miller toward positive thinking, which becomes a “lifelong tool” tested by her rare complications of the condition, including hair loss. Cramer-Miller’s optimism is measured—she concedes she’s not blind to the risks of the disease—and all the more moving for it. “Perhaps the inevitability of death is the best motivation for living a good life. Every day. Right now,” she muses. The existence of this openhearted memoir, which will touch anyone who’s ever known someone with a chronic illness or struggled with one themselves, is proof of her concept. There’s plenty of wisdom in these pages.

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  • English

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