Remedies for Sorrow
An Extraordinary Child, a Secret Kept from Pregnant Women, and a Mother's Pursuit of the Truth
by Megan Nix
Pub Date 18 Apr 2023
Doubleday Books, Doubleday
Biographies & Memoirs | Health, Mind & Body | Nonfiction (Adult)
Doubleday Books and Netgalley have provided me with a copy of Remedies for Sorrow for review:
Despite a seemingly uneventful pregnancy, Megan Nix's second child, Anna, was born very small and profoundly deaf. During Megan's pregnancy, she unwittingly contracted cytomegalovirus from her toddler, which may cause lifelong delays for Anna, due to an infection caused by a virus she had never heard of: cytomegalovirus, or CMV.
Astonished by this knowledge, Megan was electrified. While pregnant, she had been warned of the risks associated with saunas, sushi, unpasteurized cheese, a lack of folic acid, and an excess of kitty litter. It was clear to her that there were a number of genetic syndromes she could do little to prevent. However, she was not informed that CMV is contagious in the saliva of one out of every three toddlers, and can be spread through a kiss, a shared cup, or an unfinished bite of toast. She was not informed that the stakes were high, that congenital CMV causes more birth defects and childhood disabilities than any other infectious disease, including blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism. Others may appear suddenly at age two or three and cannot be traced back to congenital CMV, while others are evident at birth.
In Remedies for Sorrow, Luke makes his living as a salmon fisherman in Sitka, Alaska. Despite the staggering cost of this silence to families and children like Anna, Megan struggles to meet Anna's needs and delves deeper into the mystery of why no one has mentioned CMV to her OBGYN or the pediatrician of her toddler. This rugged and beautiful place has given rise to a memoir about the boundless capacity of mothers, the extraordinary child that is Anna, and the lifesaving power of the truth.
I give Remedies For Sorrow five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
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