Until I Say Good-Bye

In June 2011, Susan Spencer-Wendel learned she had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)—Lou Gehrig's disease—an irreversible condition that destroys the nerves that power the muscles. She was forty-four years old, with a devoted husband and three young children, and she had only one year of health remaining.

She decided to live that year with joy, spending time with her family and building a meeting place for friends. And, as her health declined, she took seven trips with the seven most important people in her life—to the Yukon, Hungary, the Bahamas, and Cyprus. She swam with the dolphins with her sons and went to New York City with her teenage daughter.

From the parking lot where she cried after her diagnosis to a snowy hot springs near the Arctic Circle, from a hilarious family Christmas disaster to the monastery in Cyprus where she rediscovered her heritage, Until I Say Good-Bye is Susan Spencer-Wendel's unforgettable gift to her loved ones and to us: a record of their final experiences together and a reminder that every day is better when it is lived with joy.