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The Sunday Series (35), with Mark Brodinsky

July 27, 2014 By markbrodinsky Leave a Comment

hall of fame

Failure after failure after failure. Massive failure. Inside all of it just a modicum of success. For many the daily grind would break them, the glimmer of hope would not sustain them. But these humans have that something extra which drives them to seek out splendid discipline and by doing so, to shine.

The Sunday Series (35): The Hall of Fame

If this blog is about anything, it’s about purpose, passion, meaning, it’s just about… life. Baseball, the sport which most closely resembles it. The sport which relates to the every day challenges almost all of us face. It’s how you overcome, persevere, strategize, hope, love and then step up to the plate, with the knowledge that if you just keep trying, learn from failure after failure, work at getting better, you too will shine.

That’s life. That’s baseball. And those who do it best, those who make failure their friend and success their brother, earn their way to the top of the mountain and a golden ticket to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Today six men who played and/or managed the game get their place in baseball immortality. No, I didn’t interview a single one, but I did get to watch them play and I simply thought it fitting this Sunday to share some Hall of Fame quotes from or about these players. Day after day these men managed to find success admist a sea of challenges at the plate, on the mound, in the dugout. The statistics in baseball are everything, but the numbers are necessary because in this game where everything counts, just like life, the numbers never lie. And if you can hit 3-out-of-10, if you can throw more strikes than balls and win more than you lose, if you can manage 25 men to greatness, then you can become the best. And if you do, if you can, there is nothing quite like a view from the top.

First there are the two pitchers and a manager, all who were part of the Atlanta Braves historic run through the 1990’s:  Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas.

Greg Maddux, nicknamed “Mad Dog” and “The Professor” by his teammates. The only pitcher in major league history to win at least 15 games in 17 seasons. The only pitcher to record 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts and walk fewer than 1,000. A 4-time consecutive Cy Young award winner, who racked up 355 wins.

Maddux has one of the greatest quotes of all time for a pitcher, and little leaguers should listen up: “The secret to pitching, is to make your balls look like strikes and your strikes look like balls.”  Love that one.

Tom Glavine, who had five 20-win seasons, 2 Cy Young awards and the fourth-most wins (305) by any left-handed pitcher in Major League history: “There was always that willingness to look at myself and know there were things I could do better and I needed to do better,” Glavine says. “In my mind, I was never shy about taking those things on to try to get better.”

Then there is  Manager Bobby Cox, who spent most of his career with the Braves, guiding them to 16 post-season appearances, four pennants and a World Series: “Bobby did things no other manager had the guts to do,” former pitcher John Smoltz says. “He understood players. He understood what made them tick, and trusted them, and what their pride was. We didn’t have parachutes in spring training or any of those gimmicks.” No gimmicks for Cox, who earned Manager of the Year honors four times and had more than 2500 victories.

hof managers

Two other managers also are enshrined today, inclulding Joe Torre, best known for his days in pinstripes with the Yankees, winning six pennants and four world championships cementing his niche in baseball history.  “I learned from every managing job, said Torre. There are certain things you don’t care for but you have to do. You just have to learn how to do them. I always tried to find a positive way to get a message across to a player. So I had to hone my communication skills. I tried to stay the same person as manager, I was as a player.”

Manager Tony LaRussa won multiple World Series championships with the Oakland A’s and St Louis Cardinals. He was also one of those whose skills were documeted in George Wills legendary book, Men At Work. “I never imagined managing so long”, says Larussa, whose career lasted 33 years. LaRussa has been criticized because some of his most successful teams included players who were suspected of, or admitted to steroid use. LaRussa says, “I know there are people that have accused me because of some of the guys that helped us win in Oakland and St. Louis, so the only thing I can say is I know 100 percent that our program was absolutely clean for everything that we could control.”

For Chicago White Sox slugger Frank Thomas, “The Big Hurt”, who also played ball during the steroid era, but was never linked to any performance-enhancing drugs, this honor means so much: “I can just tell you, what I did was real and that’s why I’ve got this smile on my face right now because the writers, they definitely got it right.” Right is right. Thomas was a 2-time Most Valuable Player (in consecutive years), a Comeback Player of the Year and had more than  500 homeruns, while maintaining a .300 lifetime batting average. He’s on a short list of players who accomplished that feat including Hall of Famers, Babe Ruth, Jimmie Fox, Mel Ott , Ted Williams, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. That’s some serious company.

Though most of us will never take the mound in a major league ballpark, hit a homerun over 400 feet, (or even  200 for that matter), nor have the patience, talent and smarts to corral a group of 25 men and march them toward a world championship…we can all learn a lesson from those who lived these moments as part of the greatest game ever played, because we too overcome great challenges.

Baseball is a tough game. So is life. We face struggles and failure. In baseball, hard work, discipline, consistency and extraordinary achievement is rewarded with a ticket to sports immortality. Do the same in life and you too are rewarded, maybe not with a bust in the Hall of Fame, but with a legacy you leave that all whose lives you touched will remember.

Yes, there’s a “Hall” for all of us.

Until next time, thanks for taking the time.

Mark

Author, Huffington Post Blogger, Financial Services

#1 Amazon Best Seller: It Takes 2. Surviving Breast Cancer: A Spouse’s Story (www.spouses-story.com)

Ideas for The Sunday Series, or to connect with Mark:

markbrodinsky@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Sunday Series (28), with Mark Brodinsky

May 25, 2014 By markbrodinsky 7 Comments

To inspire, have courage, keep hope alive. All of these are traits of winners, those who are leading the way, showing us all how it’s done, overcoming obstacles and helping in any way they can to be change makers. These are their stories, in my words… The Sunday Series.

The Sunday Series (28): Wheels of Giving

Ten years, thousands of miles, and to think it all began one day at lunch.

“There’s a group at my office, (GP Strategies), that rides”, says Jill Eisenberg, “and I had not been on a bike since age 12 or 13. My co-workers ride at lunchtime, I just started riding with them.” And once the wheels started turning, Jill learned she couldn’t be stopped. Working as a graphic designer, Jill quickly learned that riding became a great way to break up the day. “It’s fun to put in saddle time”, says Jill. “Lunchtime is usually 12-15 miles. Bike riding is extremely relaxing, by myself or with a group, it’s a great way to clear my head. Sometimes someone might ask me for an idea and I go out and ride and think about it.”

Sm Group Lunch

The daily rides got Jill thinking about bigger and better things, about challenging herself to do more, ride more, farther, faster and break through barriers. She did several bigger rides, including a 100-mile ride with a team from work, in an event called Seagull Century. Then Jill learned about a ride for Multiple Sclerosis. 100-miles one day, 50-miles the next through Maryland’s beautiful eastern shore. At first Jill saw the event and the ride as simply another challenge to take on, a shot at proving to herself she had the stamina and discipline to get it done. But as she learned more about MS and met some of the participants, everything changed.

Multiple Sclerosis, commonly referred to as MS, is a disease that affects the central nervous system, (CNS), and everything we do relies on the proper function of this central nervous system. But with MS, immune cells violate the connections of the CNS creating dysfunction, which can be mild, moderate or severe. There is no cure, only treatment…but events like Bike MS, are going a long way to improve those treatments, with people like Jill and thousands of others leading the charge. (http://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/Definition-of-MS)

And it was on one of these rides about four years ago that Jill met Mike. Mike was diagnosed with MS in his early 30’s and was taking part in Bike MS. Jill was on the 100-mile route of the race when she came upon Mike. The two started talking and Jill realized he would need some encouragement to make it to the finish line, for the race leg he had chosen was not the 100-mile course, but a 65-mile trek. Jill stayed with Mike for every pedal the rest of the way and Mike told Jill his whole story of dealing with the disease. The two finished the 65-mile race together, and a new friendship blossomed.

Inspired by Jill and her dedication to cycling, the next year Mike said he wanted to tackle the 100-mile ride. The temperature for the ride that year, at 95 degrees, presented a significant challenge to both of them, especially Mike. Jill says every 10-miles she would ask him how he felt. Despite the heat and fatigue, Mike said he could make it. Slowly, methodically, the two pedaled together and reached the finish line, one of the final participants to cross, but it hardly mattered, a major obstacle had been overcome. And every year since then Mike has finished the 100 mile course.

Events like the Bike MS are literally changing the lives of those battling the disease. Over the past decade Jill says she has witnessed tremendous strides in the research and treatments, some of it funded with the money raised by events like Bike MS. “The money we raise in Maryland is really doing great things”, says Jill. “In the last ten years it, (treatments), have gone from daily shots to oral medications, so the person with MS can now take a pill with less side effects. MS affects things we don’t think about, that we take for granted and the money raised is also funding more research, funding services for people who need assistance, ride shares, new beds and more.” The drugs to treat MS can be expensive and not all is covered by insurance, events like Bike MS seek to alleviate the financial burden as well.

bikeMS

And Jill is a leader among those raising dollars to fight for those afflicted. Over the past ten years, Jill and her team, which now stands at 35 participants, have raised more than $20,000. In 2011, Jill was named Volunteer of the Year for the Maryland MS Chapter. It’s all about going above and beyond what is expected, put the extra in front of ordinary to become extraordinary. Jill has found a cause she loves and does so by pouring her heart into it every year. “I know that I am extremely fortunate”, says Jill. “I have good health, a healthy family, and because I’m healthy and I am able to give back, I should.”

DesignConnection Team
Team Design Connection

Bike_MS-NYC2

It takes each of us to make a difference for all of us. Jill Eisenberg is learning this first-hand as she and so many others help in the fight to create this world… a world free of MS and a world which is better because of those called to rise and make change happen. For Mike and countless others like him more than 100,000 riders are changing lives and transforming their own. Jill trains, riding a few times a week at lunch and longer rides on the weekends, just to prepare for the bigger races like Bike MS. It’s dedication and discipline. Taking small consistent steps to enact massive change. It’s an example for all of us to follow. Find your passion, what you love to do and use your ability and talent to change the lives of other people. This is the essence of significance.

You can play a significant part for Jill’s team as well, if you would like to donate, or even join the team, go to (http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/TeamDesignConnection), or (http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/jilleisenberg).

And to think how great change began with a simple break for lunch. A lunchtime ride, which turned into the ride of a lifetime.

jill profile

Until next time thanks for taking the time,
Mark

Mark Brodinsky, Author, Blogger, Financial Services
The Book: It Takes 2. Surviving Breast Cancer: A Spouse’s Story
#1 Best Seller on Amazon
www.amazon.com/author/markbrodinsky

For feedback or ideas for the Sunday Series: markbrodinsky@gmail.com.
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Why…Wait?: It’s Just About… Life.

May 20, 2014 By markbrodinsky Leave a Comment

man waiting

The waiting is the hardest part – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

They say good things come to those who wait. For some yes, for others no. Most times not. But how about when it’s out of your control?

For example, the re-design of this blog was going to be launched today, but for reasons beyond my control…it has to wait, technical difficulties which won’t allow us to get it just right. In that case, my blog about the WHY, your WHY, has to wait, since it will make more sense on the new platform. Next Tuesday is now the scheduled date.

So while I wait… the question is not a bad one for all of us to think about. Why wait? Like I said at the top, sometimes good things come to those who wait. I believe it all depends on what you are waiting for. If it’s truly out of your control, sure. But if it’s to finally live the life you deserve, then today is the best day to get started, at the latest tomorrow, because tomorrow is only a whisper of a promise. Tomorrow may never come, we are teased and enticed by the allure of a new day, but what if the “what if” happens. What if it doesn’t? Or what if it does, but you waited, and waited and waited, only to look back on your life and realize the worst. You never fulfilled your purpose, you wished upon a star, but never took any action to reach for it, you simply stared up into the night sky, hoping, dreaming, thinking…but nothing more.

Don’t wait, if you want more. The time to begin with the smallest step is right now, build a burning sense of urgency, but don’t get overwhelmed, simply take that first step, and keep moving forward, even with the tiniest of momentum, even one-tenth of one-percent, strive to get better than you were the day before, the key is growth in any area of your life, for whatever you want. Don’t wait.

Will it kill you to wait? Nope, not today. But the act of waiting, the decision to do nothing, to wait until the tomorrow which may never come will kill your dream. Remember it’s you who is waiting, your dream, the life you want, waits for you to bring it to life. Heed the words of the legendary singer/songwriter Billy Joel, (a song my daughter and her friends just found out existed, and they’ve got BIG dreams):

You know that when the truth is told
that you can get what you want or you can just get old.
You’re gonna kick off before you even get halfway through
when will you realize… Vienna (your dream) waits for you.

Until next time, thanks for taking the time.
Mark

Mark Brodinsky, Author, Blogger, Financial Services
#1 Amazon Best-Seller: It Takes 2. Surviving Breast Cancer: A Spouse’s Story
www.spouses-story.com, www.amazon.com/author/markbrodinsky
Feedback, ideas: markbrodinsky@gmail.com

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The Sunday Series (27), with Mark Brodinsky

May 18, 2014 By markbrodinsky 3 Comments

just breathe

Everyone has a story. On Sunday, it’s yours. A way for others to be inspired by your heroism and help put all of our lives in perspective.

The Sunday Series (27): The Breath of Life

Life isn’t fair. But you hope you get the chance in life to wage a fair fight. Have a goal, make a plan, take a deep breath and take action. But what if breath won’t come easy, what if oxygen is hard to come by, what do you when good air is rare? You try your best to breathe… or maybe hold that breath and wait for a miracle. Sometimes miracles happen.

For Ashley Silcott, this is life. Breathing life into the future, to future plans, for the chance to make it day-to-day always seems to hang in the balance. Ashley has Cystic Fibrosis, (CF). It is a chronic, progressive and frequently fatal (genetic) inherited disease, primarily affecting the respiratory and digestive system. For much of Ashley’s time on this planet the hospital has become a second home. She’s been admitted more than 50 times, to get breathing treatments, medication, IV’s, and more.

Ashley was diagnosed with CF at birth. She says, “one day I feel great, the next I can barely function. I take over thirty pills a day and spend hours doing breathing treatments and physical therapy regimens just to try and stay healthy.” And then there’s the constant cough. The one Ashley says she’s had her whole life, the one for which kids made fun of her in school, the one for which other people think she’s contagious. The one that won’t ever go away.

The average life expectancy of someone living with Cystic Fibrosis…37. A little more than a decade from where 25-year-old Ashley is now in her life. But Ashley’s not average, she is determined to help change that number, to beat that “average”. One way to do it is to fight, the other, most unexpectedly for Ashley, is to become immortal. But immortality comes with a price. Ashley nearly paid with her life.

Ashley at waterfall

In January of 2013 Ashley was back at Johns Hopkins Hospital where she had been so many times for breathing treatments, to help fight off infection, to help her simply keep going. She had never stayed for more than 10 days, but this time the journey would be much, much longer. This time life would hang in the balance and that balancing act would affect more than just one life.

During this hospital stay Ashley wasn’t responding to treatment. Things were going downhill… and fast. “Each day, my symptoms worsened”, Ashley says. “I was eventually moved to a critical care floor where my resting heart rate resembled that of someone who had been working out vigorously for hours. I had high fevers, 103, 104…for hours each day. My body was in overdrive just trying to keep me alive. My kidneys began to fail. I was coughing up blood and throwing up hourly. I eventually lost control of my bladder and I could no longer walk because I was so weak. My body would collapse merely trying to stand. I was in such terrible, constant pain and agony that all I could think was, “this is it, this is the end. This is how twenty four years of fighting is going to end…” I was utterly terrified. I’ll remember the entire, horrible, terrifying experience for the rest of my life. Laying in the critical care bed, with my mom and dad, my husband Tyler and my cousin Abby beside me – I knew. I could feel it.”

Ashely and Tyler in hospital

And what Ashley could feel was more than a health crisis, it was despair. Because what she and Tyler had kept from the rest of the family was a secret, one they had, pre-hospital stay, gone to great lengths to research, to speak to the experts and talk about to each other, so they could tell their family the news with joy in their eyes and not fear in their hearts. Ashley was pregnant. It wasn’t planned, but it was reality and once it happened Ashley and Tyler were determined to bring this miracle of life to life.

But as she got sicker and sicker and a decision was made to move her to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The treatment plan Ashley had been approving, or disapproving, for fear it would affect her fetus, gave it all away. Finally her Dad overheard her conversation with the doctors, and Ashley broke down in tears as she admitted to her father she was with child. “My Dad took a long walk at that point”, Ashley says, “then came back and was more supportive than she could have imagined. My Mom was terrified, but supportive.” Yet now that it was out in the open, the life-changing decisions were getting tougher.

“If you have ever been pregnant, or loved someone that was carrying a baby, you can imagine the state of desperation and distress that I was in”, says Ashley. “I wanted this my entire life, the gift of being a mom. And now it was dangled in front of me. “You or the baby”. I chose both. There’s no question. For me there was no OR. It was then that I found out who my true loved ones were. Those that loved me accepted my decision to fight for BOTH of us, not just one. Others considered me selfish and foolish. Either way, I had made up my mind.”

Ashely in ICU

But what you decide and what life decides to place in your path are often not on the same page. Things had gotten bad. Ashley was refusing treatments which could help her, but hurt the baby. And now she was no longer breathing on her own, on a ventilator, sedated and basically in a medically-induced coma, it was Ashley’s Dad, to whom she had given medical power of attorney, who made the decision for treatments to save her life. But the ventilator was no longer helping Ashley to breathe and the doctors and the family agreed a tracheostomy (trache) would be necessary. They woke Ashley to tell her what would happen next.

Ashley still remembers what it felt like after she learned the news, knowing the procedure would happen the next day, if not sooner: “I knew this day would come. Everything I’ve ever read, heard or witnessed about Cystic Fibrosis proved that. CF is a vicious monster that doesn’t stop. It’s unpredictable. Perfectly healthy 50-year-olds are living with CF over here. And a three-year-old is dying because of it over there. Unpredictable. CF does not discriminate. And it is downright cruel. And that’s how I went to sleep. Convinced that I would die right there that very night in my sleep. Heartbroken. Silent. Defeated.

Ashley continues, “I drifted off to the most panicked, restless sleep of my life. My hand on my precious stomach, praying to whoever was listening. Pleading and begging for another chance. Because apparently that’s what you do when you’re dying, you cling to life like never before. And I was literally, clinging to life. I held my stomach, somehow hoping that this little person inside me could feel that I loved them. I just hoped that he or she knew that I tried. And off to sleep we went. Surely to meet angels tonight. Or so I thought.”

But that night prayers were answered… sometimes miracles happen.

“I woke up and couldn’t believe I was alive”, says Ashley. “My mom and the respiratory therapist came in and told me I had been breathing on my own for an hour. They took the ventilator out and I started talking, slowly at first. Progress, progress throughout the day. I had not stood up in a month. I had lost more than 20 pounds. I was just so small. No muscle mass, no fat. In an insanely short amount of time, about two weeks, I was out of the hospital.”

By Valentine’s Day, the baby, “popped”, meaning Ashley now had the pregnancy belly. She says she gained about 10 pounds nearly overnight.

preslee pops

Pregnancy was tough, because Ashley was still doing rehab and needed help with walking and was incredibly anxious about the health of the baby, calling the doctor at least twice a day every time she thought the baby had stopped moving.

But on June 26th, life moved forward in a way which has changed Ashley’s life. Despite coming six weeks early, Preslee, at 6-pounds, 10-ounces, was born. Healthy, with no signs the little girl had endured any stress, Preslee was perfect.

Preslee is born

Preslee Ashley Tyler

This was the breath of life Ashley and Tyler had been waiting for. “She (Preslee), has made me fight one-thousand times harder than I ever thought I could”, says Ashley. I’m coming up on one-year-hospital-free. That has never happened. She just keeps me going. I don’t have time to rest, or to get sick. She’s the reason I take my medicine, the reason I get up every day. I no longer think about being sick. It no longer has power over me. The love I have for her is stronger than any medicine out there.”

Preslee

For Ashley the fight isn’t over, it never will be until she says the letters, CF, which stand for Cystic Fibrosis, can stand for Cure Found. You can help. Learn more or donate at, http://fightcf.cff.org/goto/ashleysarmy

ashleys army

I asked Ashley what one thing she thinks she can share to inspire others from her experience. She said it’s one word… hope. “I think I never let go of hope, because hope prevails. It can be tough, but it’s worth holding onto. If you’re not positive, if you let yourself go to a dark place, it won’t work. I think it’s staying positive. I thought positive throughout the entire experience and it brought me to where I am today. It has made me a stronger and more motivated person. Whatever you are going through in life, I think you have to have hope you can get to a better place.”

It’s hope and maybe just a little inspiration, a breath of fresh air, the breath of life, from a little girl named Preslee.

Ashley and Preslee

ashlee and preslee smile

Until next time thanks for taking the time,
Mark Brodinsky

(To read Ashley’s own personal version of her journey, go to www.ashleysilcott.tumblr.com)

Mark Brodinsky, Author, Blogger, Financial Services
The #1 Amazon Best-Seller, It Takes 2. Surviving Breast Cancer: A Spouse’s Story
www.amazon.com/author/markbrodinsky
For feedback or ideas for The Sunday Series, send your information to markbrodinsky@gmail.com

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Blog Reviews

Love seeing new blogs hit the ground running like this one (by a dad no less), but I also urge anyone vaguely interested in blogging to stay tuned, I am. Good luck on your journey – glad that I am along for the ride.

Rachel Blaufeld

Great blog Mark! I always appreciate reading what you have to say. You are very gifted and talented and hopefully someday you’ll not just blog, but write a book.

 Stephen Koncurat

I’m definitely along for the ride. We’ve all seen how much damage the written word can inflict. More positive writers are needed. And I love how you are using your personal experiences – those with your wife and children – and your gift of writing to open eyes and to inspire others.

Victoria Endicott

Absolutely beautifully written! The girls in your life must be very proud of you. Thanks for sharing Mark, I look forward to reading more!

Gina Glick Jolson

Very shortly this site will be famous amid all blogging and site-building users, due to it’s pleasant posts.

Leila Galloway

Absolutely beautiful! Are you at all thinking of penning a book? You’ve got a fan base out there that really thinks you should Mark. You write so eloquently. Glad that I got onto this site.

Marilyn Lefkowitz

Mark, You are truly a gifted writer and obviously, a special father and husband . Always a delight to read your words.

I’m speechless…beautiful words flow from your heart just like a gentle waterfall into a tranquil stream… thank you so much for the friend request I was blessed the day I clicked confirm.

Lynne Turner Dorsey

From your first writing in 4th grade entitled “People” which was published in the school newspaper, you have always been able to write. Never more so than when you started “Caringbridge” and now your blog, everyone who reads says what a wonderful writer you are. Our DREAM for you is to become an author and encourage people every day. You are by the far the best and we hope and pray you reach your dream.

Bonnie Brodinsky

I know you always thank us for reading but I would like to say thanks for writing.

Stuart Abell

Great piece. You are an inspiration!

Rob Commodari

Mark I just wanted to let you know that you are succeeding in your “ultimate goal”. I have gained so much from your blogs. I look forward to reading them for the special lift that they give me. Thank you.

Amy F.

I love waking up and starting my day with my coffee and your blog! It a great way to start my day with positive uplifting thoughts!! It puts me in a positive frame of mind throughout the day and allows me to reflect on my personal life, make changes, and grow !!!

Gayle Blank

You are quite talented Mark. Thanks for sharing!

Cynthia

I always look forward to your Blog Mark. Thanks for sharing and as you always do, make it a great / remarkable Day!

Chuck Connolly

Thanks for your Blog Mark. It is fun, encouraging and a nice break from a day full of ups and downs.

Jackie Hetrick

With my busy schedule, there is (sadly) little time for reading. But I have two must-reads every time I come across them, the sports section and your blogs. Keep inspiring and following your dream!

Ed Nemec

Mark, you are a truly remarkable individual. You do speak from your heart, I can’t wait to read your book. You are an incredible writer.

Debbie Press

Mark, I am glad I clicked on your post this morning, which lead me to your writing, your goal.
Would like to connect. This speaks to me.

Aileen Braverman

I can’t wait to read the book. I have followed all the blogs and feel so good that I know u guys. You make me cry but you make me laugh too. All the very best to you!

Beverlee Rendelman

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WOW!!! It Takes 2 is a must read for anyone who has known someone diagnosed with cancer or other life threatening disease. This is the real story of a family lead by an incredible woman, Debbie Brodinsky, who took radical steps to beat the breast cancer beast. The story is told by her husband, Mark Brodinsky, through journal entries he kept starting with diagnosis through one year cancer free. This author's unique ability to pour his heart out onto the page draws you in from the beginning and holds you until the very end.

Thanks to Mark and Debbie Brodinsky for this gift...I have a new perspective on what it means to be a breast cancer survivor. You are a hero, Debbie Brodinsky!

TeeBThree
September 25, 2013

ittakes2_reviews_2

This book gives a heartfelt, in depth description of what it is like to go through breast cancer with the one you love. It is beautifully written and I felt as though I was living it with them! I highly recommend this book!

Jgs17
September 24, 2013

ittakes2_reviews_2

In It Takes 2, Mark Brodinsky windows us into his world where his wife, the cancer patient, is not the only victim. Part journal, part roadmap, It Takes 2 goes to the real humanity of facing the mortality of one's better half. Mark's candid perspective, love, and fierce intention resonate with hope in a story which is about much more than cancer. Mark himself is perhaps the most heroic character for the way he appreciates this life and so many of us in it...as he says, "thanks for caring."

Réné Pallace
September 24, 2013

ittakes2_reviews_2

It Takes Two: A Spouse's Story by Mark Brodinsky should be read by every person who is experiencing serious illness or injury or by a loved one of someone who is experiencing either of those situations. The book is an eloquent testament to the power of love and the healing energy derived from the belief that things will get better. There is not one word of "poor me" from the author or his wife who suffered breast cancer and the radical surgery she elected to have to beat the cancer. Rather, the book is a celebration of the courage displayed by them both in seeing it through.

The book also encourages readers to speak and write down their true feelings and be validated in them. John Mackovic writing in the Palm Springs, CA Desert Sun on November 2, 2013 quoted author and artist Doe Zantamata who said, " To be happy, you don't have to do anything new. You just have to remember how to believe again...Believe everything good is possible. Believe in your dreams. Believe in people. Believe in love. But most of all...believe in yourself." The author, his wife, their family and extended family and friends never stopped believing in his wife's recovery, and I think, in themselves. Read this book and believe.

Paul A. Riecks
November 4, 2013

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This book is a must read for anyone with a family member with breast cancer. It takes you through the spouse's perspective from diagnosis to recovery. Mark journaled his wife's journey and put all of his emotions out there. It is beautifully written and inspiring to anyone going through breast cancer. Thank you, Mark for sharing Debbie's story.

Jmu1109
October 23, 2013

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A friend recommended this book. This was a great perspective of a man standing beside his partner and passing along to the reader fear, hope, useful information and a broader story than his own. I loved Vinnie the tattoo artist. This is a great book. Thanks for sharing, Mark and "thanks for caring"

Blahsan

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This book is a must read. What sets this book apart from other books about surviving breast cancer is that it is told by the husband and his point of view, not from the survivor. At times sad, at times poignant but even through the worst of it you can always feel the love he has for his wife, her strength and the strength of their extended family and friends. The posts that are included from their friends and family lets you really into the heart and strength of the family. I would recommend this book to anyone who is currently going through this, whether you are the person or the caregiver. I also recommend this book to anyone who has a friend that has been or is currently going through their fight now. It was an eye opener for me.

L. Bogash
Seven Valleys, PA

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There isn't a shortage of books about breast cancer, but most are written from the perspective of the person who has battled cancer or a physician or other expert. What an enlightening experience to read about breast cancer from a husband and caregiver's perspective! Not only does the author give us insight into his wife's experience and emotions, but he openly shares and reveals his love, compassion, support, and, yes, sometimes anger at the disease as he stands by his wife's side during their journey to beat the beast. Your story may not be the same, but I guarantee if you have a loved one battling cancer, you won't go wrong reading It Takes 2.

 PattiM
September 25, 2013

 

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From the moment I opened this book I never stopped reading. Mark invites the reader to come along on this journey that his family went through. I cried, laughed and learned so much. This book will give comfort and knowledge to those going through similar situations. Most importantly, Mark and his family never give up. They get knocked down and get right back up. They fought cancer together and with their strength, determination and will to prevail... They do!

 Jenny Schloss 

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