A Journey to the Far North

My husband, Greg, and I have just returned from a wonderful trip to the Far North—to Colorado. Okay, that’s not the Far North, but it seems so to us, being that our home is in South Texas.

I recall a trip to the same state in 2014. However, this earlier trip was not as joyous as this one. We traveled to Denver to see a doctor at National Jewish Health, hoping he would give us better news than we had received at University Hospital in San Antonio. You see, Greg had been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a fatal disease for which there was only one cure—a double-lung transplant.

Rather than flying to Denver and getting the appointments over with quickly, we decided to make the trip enjoyable. We allowed fully five days to get to our destination and another five for the return trip. On the way there and back, we tent-camped in some of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Greg was short of breath at times but had not yet begun the rapid downhill progression he would eventually endure. He was able to enjoy the trip, and we were determined to make the best of it.

The diagnosis we received in Denver only confirmed what we had already been told: Greg’s rapidly-progressive condition was fatal unless halted by a complete replacement of his lungs. There was no miracle cure. We had to get accepted for the waiting list for a lung transplant and then wait months to receive the call to rush to the hospital, undergo the surgery, and finally, endure a lengthy recovery.

The 2014 trip to Colorado became the inspiration for my first novel, Amena’s Quest, which I wrote entirely during the six months that we awaited the call for the transplant. As Greg spent a great deal of time resting in bed, I traveled all the way to Northernmost Point with Amena and her father in search of the king, hoping he would heal Amena’s mother, who had fallen ill and was told there was no cure and her prognosis was bleak.

Amena's Quest is written for a middle-grade audience, and I believe the lessons contained therein are valuable as children undertake the challenges of life. The message is one of hope and of a loving king who cares for us and is always there for us. I hope you will consider getting a copy for your child or grandchild.

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