Future Widow - by Jenny Lisk

About the Book

The author goes behind the scenes of a tumultuous and heartbreaking journey through her husband's inoperable brain cancer, and asks: Do I have what it takes to help my young family survive my husband's terminal illness?

Book Synopsis

A heartbreaking doctor's visit. A fate she never saw coming. She'd dig deep for the strength she so desperately needed...

Seattle, 2015. Jenny Lisk was happy with a perfectly normal, busy life. But after the usual bustling week, Friday night turned from downtime into mild alarm when her forty-three-year-old spouse shared that he'd been feeling dizzy. And after ten days of his condition steadily worsening, she still wasn't prepared for the stunning news: He was terminally ill.

Reeling from his diagnosis of an inoperable brain tumor, Jenny suddenly became not only a wife, mother, and career woman, but also a cancer-patient caregiver and parent of grieving children. And her many fears and uncertainties swirled around one relentless question:

Did she have what it takes to help her young family survive?

Through a vulnerable, honest account of preparing for the death of a loved one, Jenny shares tips and information about childhood grief, how to be there for mourning friends, and ways online communities provide essential support. And for those who feel lost and alone, or are grappling with any kind of loss, her deeply personal journey provides a universal beacon of hope.

Future Widow: Losing My Husband, Saving My Family, and Finding My Voice is a brave and raw narrative that doesn't pull any punches on the realities of caregiving and bereavement. If you like captivating stories, authentic inspiration, and understanding the grieving process, then you'll find encouragement in Jenny Lisk's touching memoir.

Buy Future Widow to rebuild a life today!

Review Quotes

"Fellow travelers will find a soul mate in these pages, plus some helpful tips and resources. A heartbreaking but forthright, informative, and ultimately forward-looking cancer account." -Kirkus Reviews

"A polished heartbreaker touched with wit and insight.... This incisive memoir of the death of a husband faces grief with purpose and love." -BookLife Review

Named a "Most Anticipated Book of 2021" by the Badass Women's Book Club.

"Nobody wants to be a future widow or widower. But when that inevitability looms, you want a trusted guide to hold your hand. Jenny Lisk's debut memoir is just that. You get her reports from the front lines which teach you the nitty gritty of caring for your partner, your kids, and maybe even yourself as things get tougher. You get her reflection years hence on what was really going on in those moments, and important lessons learned. Thanks to Lisk, you learn that what you are going through is normal, that you will survive it, and that you are not alone. Frank, tender, real, and ultimately optimistic, Future Widow is the ultimate gift for someone going through the unthinkable." -Julie Lythcott-Haims, New York Times bestselling author of How to Raise an Adult and Real American

"Here is a book we need: a real look into what it means to be a caregiver. By sharing her family's journey, Jenny Lisk has given us both a poignant memoir as well as a de facto guide for the otherwise uncharted waters of caring for a loved one through illness and the healthcare system. Taking us stepwise from the time of her husband's diagnosis through his wrenching and inevitable death, all while raising two kids, Jenny gives us an invaluable peek into both the practicalities and the emotional mettle such a travail can summon in a person." -BJ Miller, MD, Hospice & Palliative Medicine Physician, Author, and Founder of Mettle Health

"It's been said that one person's survival story becomes another person's survival guide. With Future Widow Jenny Lisk has written that and so much more. This isn't just a story of surviving--it's also a story of thriving." -Gina Warner, Founder, Badass Women's Book Club

"Wow. Jenny Lisk writes, with honesty and even a wearying sense of humor, about how to live one life as you know that it is ending, in preparation for this new, unwanted future you would, with all your soul, ask to avoid. Her vivid, human recounting of trying to be a loving partner to her dying husband, even as her heart breaks, is riveting, real and all too relatable, the kind of stuff you tell your friend in a late-night call when no one can hear you cry. Stunning." -Leslie Gray Streeter, author of Black Widow