5.0 out of 5 starsThere is a Reaper "There is a place beyond suffering, beyond hope, beyond despair. It is peaceful and timeless..."

November 24, 2015

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There is a Reaper: Losing a Child to Cancer
By Michael Lynes
Christopher Aaron Lynes, November 10, 1986-September 7, 1994. Eight years old.
“There is a place beyond suffering, beyond hope, beyond despair. It is peaceful and timeless, and it is not death. It is a place of stillness, a place of acceptance, a place of certainty and of clarity.” Michael Lynes
There is a Reaper about deep abiding love and loss and how one family and their little boy, Christopher, copes with a terrible illness. Mr. Lynes takes us through the journey that we must sit through with boxes of tissues for the tears of sadness and of happiness. For that is what the story is about. Not just the tragedy of a rare form of Leukemia for which there is little treatment, but of the closeness the family shares throughout Chris’ battle.
We live through their struggles with him and his family and meet some fascinating characters as we go along. We meet the dedicated doctors and nurses and fellow patients, one friend who, like Chris, doesn’t make it. We live through chemo therapy and bone marrow transplants, periods of remission then the devastating news “It’s back.” Each time, a bit worse.
Christopher’s own growth is a thing to behold. He starts from being a feisty little five-year-old who delights in making chaos to all those around him, to a young man eight-year-old who philosophizes about death, angels and God.
If one wasn’t a believer in an afterlife before, this book gives them much to think about.
Excellent book. This is one I just might read again.