Ride the Waves

In September 1996 while Ann VanDyke watched television with her husband, Bryan, she decided she wanted to be a hospice volunteer. But as she trained through a Denver hospital, Ann had no idea that Spirit was guiding her to prepare for a task that would ultimately take ten years to complete. In a moving memoir, Ann chronicles her courageous and determined journey as she cared for her mother in her final years, uncovered shocking secrets about her family, and finally faced the grave news that her husband, Bryan, had ALS. As she vacillates between her memories of days gone by and her new reality, Ann leads others down an emotional path as she moved through the process of denial to acceptance, tested her spiritual fortitude, found joy even in the darkest of days, and learned practical coping skills. Through it all, Ann proves that no matter what our challenges, it is possible to persevere, laugh, and find a new beginning. Ride the Waves is a poignant story of living in the midst of dying as a woman bids goodbye to her mother and spouse while celebrating love and life.