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Laughing Through the Tears
Laughing Through the Tears
A Father/Daughter Love Story of Death and Recovery
By: Luther Nussbaum

Tragedy Shared Could Benefit Others

     Long Beach, California - A traumatic brain injury occurs every sixteen seconds in the United States; 29 percent of those are a result of motor vehicle accidents.  When Luther Nussbaum's daughter Kari was involved in a car accident, she became one of those statistics.
     In his new book Laughing Through The Tears: A Father/Daughter Love Story of Death and Recovery, Nussbaum shares his excruciating battle to come to terms with the injury of his seventeen-year-old daughter following the tragic incident.  The book not only explores the tragedy and its repercussions for family members, but also the "death" of the pre-coma Kari and the "birth" of the post-coma Kari.  This compelling drama, told through the eyes of her father, examines the myriad of  powerful emotions Kari's family and friends went through during her recovery.
     At first, Nussbaum and his family were convinced Kari would awaken after a day or two.  But as days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months, he began to feel despair rather than hope.  Only those who have been there can truly understand what it's like to watch one's child lay in a coma, day after day, not knowing if she will ever awaken.  Nussbaum invites readers to accompany him through a family's worst nightmare with its attendant rage and sorrow, revealing the courage it takes to learn acceptance.
     "Shortly after the accident, we developed the concept of Kari I and Kari II," Nussbaum explains.  "As long as I let go of who Kari was, then each day became a celebration as Kari reopened one-half of an eye, then the other eye, then began to move, and finally awakened."
     It was this type of dealing with adversity by embracing it that enabled the Nussbaum family to get through it.  They incorporated the tragedy into their lives with compassion and humor.  "More than anything else, we needed to believe in a future so we could project positively to Kari," Nussbaum says.  "It took incredible energy to sustain hope, but it was something we knew we had to do."
     Kari was not the only person who was profoundly changed as a result of the accident.  Nussbaum too realized significant changes in himself as a person and as a father.  "Through it all, I learned patience and mellowness," he shares.  "Before that, some internal taskmaster had driven my life.  I had planned things meticulously and was intensely frustrated when they didn't happen according to my specifications.  I had attempted to use my will to control events, in spite of mitigating realities.  For obvious reasons, I wasn't always a happy man or had I always brought happiness to those around me."
     Now he is able to view the accident as a gift from his daughter-or perhaps God.  He begins each day wtih a genuine gratitude to be alive. The book he was written is not just a story about accepting, but about changing the framework against which one views one's circumstance.  
The book cover. :)
Daughter Kari, Luther, Daughter Kristin
"In this powerful and inspirational book, we come to understand the power of leadership, imagination, and family values and how they come together.  Absent of sentiment or despair, CEO Luther Nussbaum takes you on his personal odyssey and thereby illuminates the connection between leadership and work-life balance with astounding force."
              Warren Bennis, noted author and lecturer on leadership
Quantity discounts available.  
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This page last updated 5/26/03
Kari with husband Todd

 

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