Laurel C. Fox’s Braveing the Way confronts one of the worst scenarios a parent can face. As the title would suggest, the daring memoir offers solutions with every adversity presented. It’s a love letter to mothers, daughters, families, and those facing unbelievable adversity. Fox has this refreshing, unvarnished candor, something serving entirely as an asset as it makes her a reliable narrator, and a knowledgeable, personable guide when it comes to her insights on navigating a potential crisis situation.
In Fox’s case, this concerned her fourteen-year-old daughter, Taylor. What Laurel and Taylor would go through, accompanied by considerable medical challenges in the process, is nothing short of extraordinary. That Fox is able to write about this in a way so measured, yet so unapologetically bearing of all, is seriously commendable. It reflects the book’s most rewarding qualities, chief amongst them being the author’s titular bravery.
“When Laurel’s fourteen-year-old daughter experiences a life-altering event, her entire world is upended overnight. Faced with her child’s precarious fight to survive and the daunting road of rehabilitation ahead, Laurel discovers fountains of courage and devotion she didn’t know she possessed,” the synopsis read on the book’s first edition release. “Despite the hardships and her own private grief, Laurel tackles each grueling day with positivity, resilience, and humor.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/braveing-way-Laurel-C-Fox/dp/B0D7FTCMJH
She becomes a tireless advocate for her daughter by pushing past exhaustion and uncertainty, focusing on savoring small triumphs, finding meaning amidst tragedy, and opening the door to the healing force of community. Sharing her deeply personal experience, she delivers an emotionally charged story that reveals the extraordinary power of a mother’s love, underscoring the lengths a parent will go to for their children. Laurel’s own self-discovery will both encourage and inspire you.”
In an interview with Brad Swift on the Write on Purpose Podcast, Fox herself stated the following. “…in my perfect world, I am helping raise awareness for brain injury, traumatic brain injury. And I am helping advocates, parents, single parents, because I was single when this was all happening. My daughters have a father, but I was very much alone. Finding a way to be helpful in strengthening those people. Most importantly, though, my legacy of this book and the main reason I wrote it is for my kids and my friends and community that went through this with me,” she states. “…I would have loved to have had a book like mine. And so I hope that that is also the legacy. If someone could hand them this, you know, it would be helpful in some way. And I, and I hope to I hope to be able to do that, whether I’m speaking to children to wear helmets or I’m speaking to parents or whatever that is, or going to hospitals to raise awareness. You know, a lot of people have brain injury month. Yeah, who knows what that is.”
Sometimes you don’t need a cape to be a hero. Fox, to me, is an everyday hero. The fact she is able to step out of her own trauma, her own tribulations, to advocate for others shows the best of what people can be capable of in the face of unthinkable circumstances.
Garth Thomas