I have not had a particularly good week as this is the one of the times of the year that I struggle emotionally. 16th May is my mum's birthday. She was my light, my inspiration, my friend and my strength. We lost my mum to breast cancer nearly six years ago. After six months of being told by our family doctor that she had a chest infection, she was diagnosed one Monday in January with breast cancer. The following day, we were told it was terminal and it had spread to her bones, liver, lungs and they suspected her brain. The doctors gave her only a few weeks to live but she fought bravely for nine months before losing her battle, peacefully at home. Losing her has left a huge hole in my heart but I take huge comfort from my belief that she is in heaven watching out for me and my daughter. It is a belief that my daughter shares too. This is why 'Hugged by an Angel' by Roberta Capizzi reached out to me and touched me so strongly.
Emotionally I was a complete wreck reading it, crying pretty much the entire way through it but taking great comfort from the story, which is a huge credit to Roberta's writing. It is so beautifully written and she deals with the story in such a sensitive and thoughtful way.
Kathleen is a broken woman after surviving a car accident that claimed the life of her brother. She struggles physically and emotionally to recover from such a tragic loss. The accident not only took away her beloved brother but Kathleen's ability to walk. We follow Kathleen's story as she struggles to rebuild her life. By her side throughout, is the physiotherapist assigned to help her physically recover, the gorgeous, charming and incredibly patient Colin. He does so much more with his charming smile and cute dimples. He helps her to find her confidence to go on living and brings out the feisty woman that Kathleen truly is.
Colin finds himself wanting more from Kathleen than he should and finds himself battling not to cross the professional boundaries but love is all encompassing. Through Colin's support, and a little spiritual intervention, Kathleen finds herself coming out from the other side of the despair, anger and sadness, and is able to find her feet again, start living her life and rebuild her relationships with her family.
Roberta's writing evokes raw emotions throughout the book and I could certainly empathise with the way Kathleen was feeling. You, as the reader, are right there with Kathleen on her journey and you run the gauntlet of emotions that she goes through. But there is a light at the end of her tunnel in the form of Colin, who not only supports her through her worst hours, days, weeks and months but sees the true Kathleen underneath the grief and the physical issues she is facing. Colin is a man well deserving of Kathleen and she of him. A love story born out of tragedy.
'Hugged by an Angel' is one of those stories that stays with you well beyond it's end. The ugly tears that I cried and the pile of used tissues next to me, serving as a reminder of the pure emotion that it brings out in you. Kathleen and Colin's story holds a special place in my heart: one that leaves me comforted and at peace.
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