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Amy Oestreicher
Author, Illustrator, Contributor, Editor (anthology)
My Beautiful Detour: An Unthinkable Journey from Gutless to Grateful
What happens when an ordinary teenager has to turn into a warrior just to survive? And can the journey through Post Traumatic Stress Disorder really become an “adventure?” Amy had ambitious plans for college and a Broadway career, until her stomach exploded the week before her senior prom. Months later, she awoke from a coma to learn that she might never be able to eat or drink again. After 28 surgeries and seven years on IV nutrition, her digestive system was miraculously reconstructed and her first bite of food awakened her senses to life's ordinary miracles. Yet now, Amy was suddenly faced with memories of being sexually abused by a trusted mentor for months, just before the unexpected rush to the emergency room that fateful Passover night. With determination, imagination, relentless resilience, and an inner “hunger” for life, Amy created a roadmap where none existed. Her journey through life's unthinkable detours is nothing short of miraculous, but the creative path to healing she forged is accessible to anyone. As a survivor—and “thriver”—of abuse and extensive medical trauma, Amy discovered sources of resilience she didn’t know she had but it turns out we all possess. In this book, she creates a tapestry made from each of each thread of her journey, empowering others to find gratitude in every setback and discover their own infinite inner strength. Amy’s search for “home” proves to be the greatest test of cultivating resilience after near-death, and reclaiming identity after both sexual assault and medical trauma. Amy’s journey is ultimately a celebration of ordinary and extraordinary challenges and miracles. How can you cope for years without even an ice cube to nourish your thirst for knowledge, or a breadcrumb to fuel your insatiable hunger for life? Amy found many ways, and in this book, she shares her many twists and turns, setbacks and triumphs, obstacles, and ultimately, opportunities. And in between, her humorous adventures from graduating high school in the surgical ICU, breaking out of the hospital to go to the mall, and flourishing as a mixed media artist through the unexpected discovery of a paintbrush during a year-long hospital stay. In this coming of age story, Amy shares her struggles and discoveries living with both visible and invisible illness, the tremendous gifts to be reaped from trauma, its lessons which have illuminated her path, and how these gifts can be discovered as a unique, yet universal way to navigate any kind of uncertainty.
Reviews
Testimonials

““Her survival journey, unveiled in My Beautiful Detour, is more than inspiring; it is a celebration. Against all odds, Amy finds—and creates—the magical out of the impossible.””

— Amanda Gronich, co-creator, The Laramie Project

"Amy's extraordinary life and work reveal the power of art to transform. Her survival journey, unveiled in My Beautiful Detour, is more than inspiring; it is a celebration. Against all odds, Amy finds--and creates--the magical out of the impossible." -- Amanda Gronich, co-creator, The Laramie Project

"Thank you, Amy, for this book and teaching us all that when we live in and from gratitude for EVERYTHING life hands us, ANYTHING is possible." --David Friedman, Broadway Composer, author, The Thought Exchange

"Amy Oestreicher is truly a 'life lover'." As courageous and feisty as they come, this woman has lived gracefully through things that would crumble most of us. She has turned her trauma into her gift and now shares her memoir with the world, so her healing process can carry forward, reminding others that anything is possible, no matter what our challenges." --Sheri Gaynor, LCSW, Creative Awakenings International

"Amy's book is a gift--a fantastic reminder and an inspirational guide that shows us that painful detours happen in life, and it's up to us to choose to find the beauty in the struggle." - Joshua Rivedal, author, The i'Mpossible Project

"What Amy shares through her embrace of her vulnerability is a treasure for all of us. Crisis truly does manifest as opportunity!" - Mel Schwartz, author, The Possibility Principle

"Amy alchemizes trauma into wisdom in this memoir of pure gold. Read it. Be inspired."

--Brian Leaf, author, The Teacher Appears: 108 Prompts to Power Your Yoga Practice

"The fact that Amy is alive and well is a testament to the power of the human spirit. Read this book and you will never again feel sorry for yourself no matter what happens to you!"

-- Karyn Buxman, neurohumorist, author, Funny Means Money: Strategic Humor for Influence and World Domination

"Amy has a remarkable story of faith, resilience and determination."

--Srinivas Rao, Host/Creator: The Unmistakable Creative

News
12/02/2019
"My Beautiful Detour" featured in American Teen Magazine

Read the feature here.

12/06/2019
Author Amy Oestreicher to Speak at Stamford JCC December 11th

Inspiring author and TEDx Speaker Amy Oestreicher will speak and sign her memoir, My Beautiful Detour, at Stamford JCC's Author Series.

11/29/2019
Author Interview on WTNH-8 (ABC)

Watch the television interview here.

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