THE LETTER:

Dear Agent,

“There is a large hole in his heart that will need to be surgically repaired within his first year of life…”The words echoed in my aching head. Don’t the simple tasks of raising a healthy child push mothers to the brink of madness? Isn’t simply being a parent terrifying enough? What did I do to deserve this? As a pediatrician, I knew immediately that I was not alone and that I had good reason to be afraid. With 75% of marriages ending when a child is born with a medical issue, not just the health of my son but also my marriage was in jeopardy. Mommy Madness is my 47,912 word memoir describing those terrifying months between prenatal bliss when I thought my biggest challenge would be raising a boy to ecstasy in our ‘real’ bringing baby home from the hospital.  I would be honored if you would take an exclusive look at my first book.

Neither Tiger Mom nor Buddhist Priest, I quickly exhausted my coping skills and careened close to antipsychotic medication. Fighting uninvited snapshots of children I had cared for as a doctor, I longed for a lobotomy while we anxiously dreaded what we had to endure. People tried to offer reassurance: “Well, good thing you’re a doctor…” they would say. Really? Is it good? It felt more like a liability. During the months leading up to Max’s surgery, my world was a minefield of terror as what was supposed to be the joyful welcoming of our son evolved into a terrifying nightmare. The chasm between my physician husband and I grew so wide that even my best creamy saffron-garlic shrimp could not help. Seasoned lightly with humor and heavily with frank openness, my memoir transcends the mother-child relationship and exposes the soft underbelly of two of life’s most challenging shared experiences: being forced to confront your worst fears and worrying about the health of a loved one.

My worry-wort pedigree is impeccable. For the purposes of my writing, it carries as much weight as my Bachelor of Arts from BLANK College or my MD from the University of  BLANK. An English major who stubbornly became a pediatrician, my passion has always been advocating for needy children. Yet coaching countless parents through frightening times with their child’s health did absolutely nothing to prepare me for my journey with Max. Inspired by new health problems with Max in April 2012, I started a blog about the nervous condition of motherhood (BLANK) which has international readership and is linked to support sites for families of children with congenital health problems.  I write for BLANK’s Parent and Family magazine where I am currently doing a series on “Protecting Baby.”

My manuscript is complete and I would be delighted to send you my book proposal for possible representation. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

 

YouTube Preview Image