Brock and Pamela Yates seemed to be living a charmed life. Happily married, second marriages for both, they had successfully blended their families and watched proudly as their children left the nest and found their own way. But one phone call would change everything.

“Mom, they say I have cancer!” One simple statement tipped the world on its axis. Pam’s 25-year-old son, Sean, a budding television writer and producer, had a rare and incurable form of colon cancer. In The Gift of More: Lessons on Faith and Love From a Life Cut Short (FaithWalk Publishing Trade Paperback Original, September 2005, $12.99), Pamela Yates chronicles a year in the life of her family and its emotional transformation from fearfulness and uncertainty, to acceptance and faith, and ultimately to the profoundly comforting belief in the transcendence of the human soul.

In this moving memoir, Yates documents how her family negotiated the minefields of the medical system, explored alternative medicines, encountered the paranormal, investigated the medical use of marijuana, dealt with the harsh realities of hospice care, and discovered a wealth of meaning previously hidden to them. Honest and heart-wrenching The Gift of More conveys what Sean went through during his last year, and how his life and death affected those around him – his siblings, parents, grandparents, friends, and co-workers.

In addition to recounting her son’s journey, she also relates how her dormant faith was ignited during a difficult night when she prayed to the Virgin Mary, the definitive symbol of motherhood, for a sign. This mystical experience -- she awoke to find mysterious, elaborate markings on her right foot – acted as a catalyst for the spiritual growth of both her family and Sean, “the ultimate agnostic.” And in due course it led her, in the wake of her loss, to find encouragement and hope.

The Gift of More is a story of personal power and inspiration that transcends loss – and through a flash of mystery and an expression of humanity and strength – brings hope and faith to all who read it.