This is the true story of a woman who embarked on an intensive journey towards achievement. While training for the Marine Corp Marathon, Author Kristin Abello is struck by a car. A survivor of a traumatic brain injury, she shares her story of finding love, raising her children, training for triathlon, and eventually a marathon, and climbing her way back into life.

Kristin Abello begins Sunrise with a foreboding premonition, opening this true story of faith, love, hope, and healing on a highly intriguing note.

Immediately, you’re drawn into her world, turning the page, curious to see what unfolds. While this uplifting book flows swiftly forward from catalyst to resolution, she occasionally pauses the journey to give dimension to her life. I especially enjoyed learning about her and her husband’s immigrant parents and what compelled them to begin life anew in the United States.

But this is not a story devoid of hard-won miracles.

Surviving this tragedy is unthinkable, but Abello doesn’t gloss over the heartache involved. Instead, peppered with hope and possibility, she shares the truth of her wavering courage and struggle to find a roadmap to navigate her TBI. Through honest transparency, she lifts the veil on medical communication challenges and the ripple effect the accident had on her loved ones.

Though she credits family, faith, optimism, and cutting-edge medicine as her lifelines, she admittedly could’ve used more. Briefly, she mentions the desire for a life coach or counselor specializing in TBI, and I wonder if Abello has considered that as a career path. After reading what she went through, and knowing total wellness requires coupling mental and physical healing resources, it might provide the impetus for her next book as an “expert” author.

Image Courtesy of PR by the book