The Last Ordinary Hour - by Kathy Izard (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Whether your world has been shattered by an untimely death, unfair diagnosis or unexpected disaster, this inspirational true story will help you live wholeheartedly even after life breaks your heart.

On February 22, 2013, Kathy Izard's world was shattered when her healthy husband, Charlie, suffered a catastrophic heart attack. Although he was miraculously still alive, there could be no return to normal living after doctors diagnosed the cause to be an incurable disease: Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD). Living with an exceedingly rare condition and facing the unfathomable prospect of life as a young widow, Kathy had to learn to accept the radical uncertainty that life often brings completely without warning.

Through heart-pounding and heart-warming storytelling, Kathy recounts how she and Charlie navigated numerous cardiac crises using wisdom gained from both science and faith. Combining practical medical advice and inspiring spiritual enlightenment with her endearing vulnerability and perceptive insight, Kathy shows you how to find, cling to, and even strengthen your faith in the midst of a crisis that has left you reeling.

The Last Ordinary Hour is not a book about dying. This is a story about living.

What's Inside

- Inspirational memoir of living with rare disease

- Practical Medical and Spiritual Advice compiled from more than 35 doctors and authors

- Bonus Materials:

Reader's Discussion Guide for Book Clubs and Study Groups

Interview with the Author and Frequently Asked Questions

Spiritual Direction Guide written by the Reverend Louise Green

SCAD Resource Guide for Patients and Families living with Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection

Review Quotes

"This is a searing and ultimately beautiful story of Kathy Izard's years-long pilgrimage on the knife edge of time and eternity. It speaks to all who want to find a path of faith, to a life worth living, and a love worth living with."

Leighton Ford, Founding President, Leighton Ford Ministries, author of The Attentive Life, Transforming Leadership, The Power of Story and Sandy: A Heart for God.

"Honest and open, Kathy Izard has penned a gift to anyone wondering how to journey on and fully love and embrace a life they never planned or imaged. . .The Last Ordinary Hour is a book I'll read and reread. It's a book I didn't know I was waiting for."

Niki Hardy, Author of Breathe Again, host of the podcast Chemo Chair Prayers and The Trusting God Through Cancer Summit

"Reading The Last Ordinary Hour feels like listening to that friend who trusts you with her deepest secrets."

Judy Seldin-Cohen, author of Recharging Judaism

The Last Ordinary Hour is a must read for those who have suffered tragedy and loss, for those who seek to deepen spiritual life, and also for readers who simply long for a book you just can't put down.

Katherine Olivetti, M.A., M.S.S.W., Author, The Guided Dream Journal

"This deeply moving story describes Kathy's journey through shock, recovery, and healing into thriving - together with her husband. It is an incredible read that I could not put down."

Brian Allain, Founder of Writing for your Life and Compassionate Christianity

"In reading Kathy Izard's The Last Ordinary Hour, I frequently found myself looking up to see if the earth had shifted or just my way of thinking. The author's prose is fierce and unflinching."

Leslie Hooton, author of Before Anyone Else and The Secret of Rainy Days

"This beautiful, compelling book is a powerful love story and an astute exploration of what it means to have faith when the future is entirely uncertain."

Kate H. Rademacher, author of Reclaiming Rest and Their Faces Shone.

"In The Last Ordinary Hour, Kathy Izard has captured the quicksand of uncertainty that consumes a SCAD patient's family while navigating this complex, devastating diagnosis full of unknowns and heartache. Also a one-of-a-kind love story, this book shows us we can thrive even in the most challenging times."

Katherine Leon, Founder and Chair, SCAD Alliance