Dying to Survive: Not in Vain, A Promise Kept Explores Life and Death Impact of Patient Advocacy
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They were killing her mother with negligence, Melissa Mullamphy recalls. And eight months later, Mullamphy’s mother succumbed following a cancer battle fraught with frustration, medical missteps and the endless bureaucracy that goes hand in hand with navigating our complex healthcare system.
Not in Vain, A Promise Kept is Mullamphy’s candid account of her mother’s journey and the family’s roller coaster of emotions. Readers will witness the mistakes that compounded their pain, the small victories that gave them hope, and above all, the love that kept them going during an indescribably difficult time.
Each chapter in Not In Vain, A Promise Kept represents one month from her mother’s diagnosis to her passing. Mullamphy recalls the experiences with vivid detail (the names of doctors and nurses have been changed), hoping to prompt others to ask the tough questions and learn by her example.
“My goal in writing this book is to keep the promise that I made to my mom … to share her story so others don’t go through what she and my family went through,” Mullamphy says. “You can have input, control and make a difference in your loved one’s healthcare.”
Mullamphy shares shocking lapses in her mother’s care, including blood clots the doctor fails to notice, the confusion surrounding her mother’s DNR order, the time she found her mother wearing another patient’s bracelet and the unspeakable heartbreak of learning that that all along, the hospital had used the wrong type of chemotherapy drug for her mother’s specific cancer.
Not In Vain, A Promise Kept is not without moments of hope, such as when the family is told the tumor has shrunk and when her mother’s last-ditch surgery to remove the tumor is declared “wildly successful.”
Ultimately, Not In Vain, A Promise Kept pays homage to a life well-lived and a woman well-loved, and it’s Mullamphy’s aim to help other patients and their loved ones find their voices, understand their rights and learn how to navigate a deeply complex, imperfect healthcare system.
“Use your voice, and remember that you are not there to make friends,” she adds. “Sometimes you have to be the biggest mouth in the room, but speaking up can save your loved one’s life.”
Author Melissa Mullamphy has a master’s degree in clinical psychology and has worked in psychiatric emergency rooms and step-down houses. Forever a student of mental health, she has also worked with many nonprofits, including those benefiting military veterans. For almost 20 years, she worked as a domestic operations manager for a major corporation. Following her experience with her mother’s cancer diagnosis and treatment, she began blogging about current events as they relate to healthcare.
Not in Vain, A Promise Kept ISBN-10: 1734802634 ISBN-13: 978-1734802634 Available from Amazon.com, BN.com, http://www.melissamullamphy.com and many other online outlets
Trish Stevens Corinne Walker Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
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It seems that every day the news gets worse. Mass killings. Officer-involved shootings. Social upheaval. The pandemic. And everyone just trying their best to adjust to a new normal amid swirling unrest. It’s a lot for the brain to process. Do we react with fear? Anxiety? Anger? Or can we teach our brains to push pause and unpack the facts first, instead of allowing the seemingly endless stream of negative news to impact our mental, emotional and spiritual health?
Timothy R. Jennings, M.D., is a board-certified psychiatrist, master psychopharmacologist and highly sought-after speaker who regularly addresses the topic of brain health to both non-medical and medical audiences. His subjects include Major Depression in the Primary Care Setting and the Neurobiology of Depression, Alzheimer’s Dementia, Psychotherapy in Clinical Practice, Spirituality in Medicine, Depression and its Spiritual and Physical Connections — among many others.
A common thread among his discussion topics is how anxiety-inducing news and events can activate the brain’s stress pathways — thereby increasing the body’s inflammatory factors, diminishing immune response and increasing vulnerability to viral infections and cancer. The good news is, we can rewire the way our brains react to negative news and stressful events, and Dr. Jennings can explain how.
As a Christian psychiatrist, Dr. Jennings also speaks to design principles that, when embraced and followed, can lead to a better understanding of the world and bring about more peace.
As the world searches for a clear path toward physical and mental recovery, Dr. Jennings is uniquely poised to address the very serious subject of brain health from both scientific and spiritual perspectives — a much needed and welcomed approach during these extremely distressing times.
Dr. Jennings operates a private practice in Chattanooga and has successfully treated thousands of patients. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Life-Fellow of the Southern Psychiatric Association.
Trish Stevens Helen Cook Senior Publicist Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 903.654.0938 Direct 281.333.3507 Office [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
Gifted Storyteller’s Journey with Parkinson’s and Other Challenges of a Long Life
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When Parkinson’s disease descended like a dense fog on master storyteller John J. Clayton, he was forced to pivot his perspective, change his expectations and write from a place he calls “… both alive and not alive. Like a kind of ghost …”
Parkinson’s Blues: Stories of My Life begins with the arrival of the dark unexpected. In a Monty Python skit, someone in a drab living room complains about being nagged by ques-tions. “I didn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition,” he complains. Suddenly Michael Palin, in red 16th century costume, bursts into the room. “Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition!” he shrieks.
Who expects the onset of Parkinson’s? Or cancer? Or stroke? Or the loss of a child? The terrible surprise—the life we didn’t expect—isn’t limited to Parkinson’s. It’s the existential condition of everyone’s life. In fourteen sketches, John J. Clayton links the experience of PD with the experience of childhood sickness, family battles, the struggle to make a good life out of a painful life. The sketches express the hope that we can grow spiritually in the midst of the terrible.
Through 14 eloquent stories — all of which underscore that Clayton’s gift and spirit remain fully intact — Clayton links the onset of Parkinson’s disease with other unexpected, and challenging experiences.
Parkinson’s Blues explores the anticipated pain and unexpected comedy of Parkinson’s in a manner that is deep, graceful and dignified.
Author John J. Clayton has published nine volumes of fiction, both novels and short stories. His collection of interwoven short stories, Minyan, was published in September 2016; his collection Many Seconds into the Future in 2014. Mitzvah Man, his fourth novel, arrived in 2011.
Clayton’s stories have appeared in AGNI, Virginia Quarterly Review, TriQuarterly, Sewanee Review, over twenty times in Commentary, in Notre Dame Review, Missouri Review and The Journal. Two personal essays have been recently published in Jewish Review of Books. His stories have won prizes in O.Henry Prize Stories, Best American Short Stories, and the Pushcart Prize anthology. His Radiance, a collection of stories, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award.
Clayton grew up in New York City; received his B.A. at Columbia, his M.A. at NYU and his Ph.D. at Indiana. For much of his career he taught modern literature and fiction writing as professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He has also written two books of literary criticism: Saul Bellow: In Defense of Man and Gestures of Healing, a psychological study of the modern novel.
Emotional Brain Training – A New Antidote To Pandemic Stress
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Stress is overwhelming our nation. We are all in the same situation and need to unlock our brain’s natural powers to process stress back to health, happiness and purpose. New York Times bestselling author and health psychologist Laurel Mellin delivers a unique, proven way to switch off that stress with “What’s my number?” One Simple Question that Unlocks Your Brain’s Power for Health, Happiness & Purpose.
“We are entering the Age of the Emotional Brain, a time when the overwhelming chaos, shrinking resources, gaslighting and gridlock cause so much brain stress, that we have outstripped the thinking brain’s capacity to cope,” Dr. Mellin writes. “We need to reset our approach to play by the rules of the emotional brain. By doing that one thing solutions to life’s challenges appear. We unlock the amazing power of the brain.”
“What’s my number?” offers a profoundly effective way to alter how we process daily life to meet the high-stress demands of our times. Through emotional brain training (EBT), we can use the power of our own emotions to crush cravings and regain control; clear away ineffective beliefs; deal with workplace stress; relieve anxiety, depression and hostility; resolve conflicts in relationships; boost our sense of purpose; and create joy in our lives.
Consider the following: • Traditional methods for stress reduction were developed 50 to 100 years ago and are no longer relevant to today’s overwhelming stress levels. • Before 1990, stress was low enough that we could think and do our way out of problems. With far more stress, the emotional brain takes charge. This brain does not change by thoughts or actions, but by emotions, so we need a new system for processing daily life. • This system is easy, fast and can switch off stress and activate positive emotions in about four minutes. • Stress is the number one epidemic worldwide and the physiological root cause of common diseases (diabetes, cancer and heart disease) and causes or exacer-bates all emotional, behavioral and relationship problems. • We have cracked the code on emotions and developed a simple system for pro-cessing emotional stress and switching off stress overload that anyone can use.
“What’s my number?” offers the keys to unlocking the brain’s power to turn off stress so that we can stem the negative cascade of emotions, resolve conflicts, boost our sense of purpose and create more joy in our lives.
Dr. Laurel Mellin is the founder of Emotional Brain Training (EBT), a neuroscience-based solution to stress. She is a health psychologist and Associate Clinical Professor of Family and Community Medicine and Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Mellin is a New York Times bestselling author and researcher, speaker and clinical trainer. EBT is the only method that maps the emotional brain; the seat of health, happiness, spirituality, relationships and productivity in a structured way that empowers people to self-direct their own emotional health and well-being.
“What’s my number?” One Simple Question that Unlocks Your Brain’s Power for Health, Happiness & Purpose Release Date: April 2020 Publisher: EBT Books ISBN-10: 1893265013 ISBN-13: 978-1893265011 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Teresa Hinojosa Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 832.569.5773 Direct 281.333.3507 Phone 832.569.5539 Fax [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
Trish Stevens Terri Lynn Polk Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
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Drugs, Money And Cancer Challenge Ultimately Transform Texas Woman
Amy Herrig loves dogs, the Dallas Cowboys, her husband and, of course, her family. You might find her cooking up a gourmet meal, reading a good book or discussing the latest movie she’s seen. She’s as American as apple pie, and one would assume that her life has been a series of successes. Except it hasn’t.
In her memoir No More Dodging Bullets, Herrig recounts her struggle with heroin addiction during her teenage years and, as an adult, an addiction to money. She and her father were the successful owners of a number of businesses, raking in the profits and enjoying all that it could buy when the government slapped them with a lawsuit that threatened to strip them of everything, including their freedom. During that four-year battle, she was served with another notice: she had breast cancer.
Her struggles, she says, have served to provide her with a new perspective and have deepened her faith. “All the bullets I’ve dodged and all the things that have happened made me realize how lucky I am to be alive,” she says.
Today, Herrig volunteers regularly and has founded the nonprofit, Hopeful Tuesdays, to assist the homeless in her community. She and her family enjoy spending time in Alaska, helping to run the family business there and spending time hiking and fishing. A self-professed foodie, she’s frequently hosting dinner parties and delving into meaningful conversations with her close circle of friends.
No More Dodging Bullets
Publisher: Inspired Forever Book Publishing
Available from Amazon.com
ISBN-13:978-1-948903-17-2
ISBN-10:1-948903-17-2
Trish Stevens Jenny Crain-Harrison Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone 800.854.2207 Fax
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From Their Darkest Hours To Their Brightest Moments, Survivors Describe Their Transformation From Despair to Happiness
Real people. Real pain. Real hopelessness. Real healing. Some have battled a life-threatening illness, others have survived an abusive relationship, lost their job, or overcome an addiction. Others have plummeted to the bottom after a painful divorce, only to transform themselves into far happier people. And some were shackled to despair and hopelessness after the death of a child and, yes, they struggled and broke free. These are people who have battled the unthinkable and transformed their lives in Chaos to Clarity: Sacred Stories of Transformational Change by Rev. Patricia Cagganello and Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos. Readers will witness firsthand the challenges that these men and women faced head-on, and how they emerged stronger and happier.
In Chaos to Clarity, Cagganello and Kanavos share their expertise on the spirituality and psychology of change and explain why change is not only inevitable, but it is good for you.
“Just as the flapping of a butterfly’s wing can change weather patterns around the world, a small inspiration from one person can cause positive changes for another,” says Kanavos, who believes change is a part of the natural order of life.
“Welcome to true-life stories that transform chaos into clarity and connect you to the heart of humanity,” Cagganello adds. “Discover your hope for the future and a blueprint for your life in these life-changing pages.”
Rev. Cagganello is CEO and Founder of Sacred Stories Media, Sacred Stories Publishing, an award-winning book publishing and marketing company, and Sacred U ─ an online course division. An ordained interfaith, interspiritual minister and sacred storyteller, Cagganello is a believer in “raising the vibration of the planet” to one of respect and honor for the sacred nature of ourselves and all living things. Before she was ordained, Cagganello served six years as a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps as well as many years in the corporate and educational worlds. She is the author of two previous books, God is in the Little Things: Messages from the Animals and God is in the Little Things: Messages from the Golden Angels, and co-author of the poetry book Scanning For Signal.
O’Keefe-Kanavos is accredited in psychopathology and special education. She taught psychology at University of South Florida’s Fort Myers branch and was an instructor of the severely emotionally handicapped for 10 years, two years as special education department head. Later, she used a combination of dreams and conventional medicine to beat back cancer—three times. She was actually a research subject in the Breast Cancer Dream Research Program at Duke University. In Dreams That Can Save Your Life, O’Keefe-Kanavos and co-author Dr. Larry Burk compiled true accounts of people whose dreams were later validated as well as the results of research studies that support the precognitive power of dreams.
Trish Stevens Julia Vaughn Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
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Journal Empowers Caregivers To Reflect On Their Own Needs
Rosalyn Carter said it best: “There are only four kinds of people in the world — those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.” Yes, It Really Is All About Me is an enlightening book from Darleen Miller that seeks to empower selfless caregivers to create their own personal to-do list that nurtures the mind, body and spirit.
“Whether we are parents, grandparents, teachers or medical professionals, we all belong to a community of caregivers, and we often neglect our own needs,” Miller explains. “As we explore your personal Journey of a Lifetime, this inspirational journal will help define and support your relationship with self.”
Yes, It Really Is All About Me features a journal format that guides readers through a step-by-step journey of self-realization and self-nurturing, beginning with the question, ‘Who am I?’ The book is divided into four categories: Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and Spiritual, with written exercises, insights from the author and positive statements of empowerment.
Designed for the caregiver who loves others and wants to serve their world, Yes! It Really Is All About Me aims to impact the lives of caregivers by raising their conscious awareness of their own needs and leading them down a nurturing path where they feel loved and appreciated in their service.
At an early age, author Darleen Miller began her own personal journey as a lifelong teacher and caregiver to her parents, grandparents and her three children. During her 47-year marriage, Miller supported her husband’s military career and became his primary caregiver as he battled cancer for the last 12 years of his life. He passed away at their home with hospice care in July 2010. This experiential workbook is a reflection of Miller’s holistic self-exploration in caregiving experiences. Her passion for teaching, writing and healing unite as tools to help fellow caregivers embrace a new conscious awareness of life. Miller offers numerous classes that focus on mind, body and spiritual development with self-empowerment.
To learn more about the author, please visit www.DarleenMiller.com or follow her on Facebook at Darleen L. Miller, on Instagram at WisdomEvolution and on LinkedIn at Darleen L. Miller.
Yes! It Really Is All About Me Publisher: Balboa Press Release date: September 15, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-4525-3575-3 (sc) ISBN: 978-1-4525-3576-0 (e) Available from Amazon.com
