Listen to Me

Listen to Me is an inspirational, faith-based book that will often move the reader to tears. It is the story of Kim Brinkman Smith who survived Hodgkin's disease as a sixteen-year-old who had been healthy and in excellent physical shape her entire life. When she was diagnosed with cancer, she was given a 75% chance of surviving. Her chemotherapy regimen was horrific and there were many days when she was so ill from the side effects that she wanted to die. While her friends were caught up in the excitement of cheering at ballgames and buying their prom dresses, Kim wondered if she'd live long enough to attend prom. When her classmates were planning their future careers, Kim was thinking about the wig she'd need to purchase when she lost her beautiful long hair.

Kim and her three sisters were raised in a Christian home by faithful, hard-working parents who introduced Christ to the girls at a young age. They provided a firm spiritual foundation that was strengthened by prayer. When Kim was blindsided by the cancer, her parents prayed for her to have the strength to survive and for her doctors to provide her with the best possible care. Throughout the book, the reader will feel the depth of Kim's prayers and her family's as they did everything they could not to be swallowed up by the fear of the unknown. This was often impossible for Kim to do, especially when she was so ill from the chemo treatments.

This book is a love story on so many levels. In a symbolic way, it is the story of God's abundant love for each of us. In a literal way, it is a story of a mother's unconditional love. This certainly applies to Kim's mother who kept the family grounded throughout Kim's ordeal; it also applies to Kim's unconditional love for her two children. On a romantic level, the reader will be hoping that Kim doesn't let Brad (her future husband) get away when she doubts his carefree lifestyle.