Description
How wonderful and poignant your writing style is… How it captivated me and brought me “inside the ropes” of your and Harry‘s incredible ordeal. You describe all the myriad of emotions you went through with such clarity and honesty, yet never to the point of being maudlin or self-serving. It is a touching tale of panic, fear, hope, faith, and victory!
L. BLAINE HAMMOND
Colonel, USAF (Retired)
Astronaut
Exquisitely written with uncommon grace and elegance, Back from Code Blue is a riveting, spellbinding, must read, page-turner. The July 23, 2009 letter written by Harrison, 14, to his dad Harry, after paramedics rushed Harry to the hospital, is a priceless testimonial of a son’s love, devotion, respect, admiration, affection, loyalty, commitment and gratitude to and for his dad. Code Blue should come with a warning disclaimer: any reader must remain tethered to a case of tissue to cope with a bucketload of tears that Back from Code Blue will elicit!
Tom Lallas
Back from Code Blue by Cathy White is the unique and inspiring account of Dr. Harry White’s journey from near fatal heart failure, through forty-four days of hospitalization, to his return to home, family, and full health. Readers experience Harry’s day-by-day traumas and successes through Cathy’s daily posts, the emails and messages received from friends around the world, and Cathy’s further reflections as she remembers those difficult days. The amazing support of friends, their prayers and offers of help, the genuinely funny texts which provided laughter in trying times, all these plus Harry’s own strength and determination contribute to his remarkable recovery. In the words of one of Harry’s friends,
“This has been some story! Non-fiction with ups and downs, tears and laughter, high suspense and sighs of relief . . . articulate daily first-person accounts of events, an incredible cast of characters that we’ve come to know and love, a courageous, inspiring hero along with a beautiful, astonishing heroine, plus the handsome, athletic son . . . The main themes include a love story, a hero’s journey, being touched by the Divine, prayers and angels, and the mystery: How could this happen to such a nice guy?”
Sandy Barker –
Since day one, I walked the “Summer Adventure of 2009” with Harry, Cathy, Harrison and the whole family. Reading Back From Code Blue was like reliving it in detail. I literally shed tears and had goosebumps! While the book details the harrowing journey this amazing family endured, it also depicts the immense faith, will to live, perseverance, support, compassion, hope, and love that surrounded them while God miraculously spared Harry‘s life. Cathy, your heart and soul are poured into this book and I know it will give hope to people who need it.
Jeff Reuter –
There are a handful of excruciatingly painful circumstances that humans sometimes endure, including the death of a child, a relative, or anyone you love deeply. Yet there is another level of this agony, experienced by a select few. It is the emotional and physical roller coaster of seeing
a loved one almost die, make a recovery and appear to be “out of the woods,” then relapse to “Code Blue,” almost certain death, and finally by some implausible miracle, return to life.
Back From Code Blue is an odyssey of the highest highs and the lowest lows, and of trying to maintain sanity moment by moment in desperate situations. It chronicles a passage down a road that indelibly changes those who travel it. Here is a wonderful “feel good” story of that specific journey traveled by my very dear friend Dr. Harry White and his family.
I lived this story with the White family because, ironically, I had just gone through the exact same peregrination.
Chris Griffith –
Hope, faith, gratitude, renewed belief in God’s miracles … these are the emotions that author Cathy White infuses in us through the awe-inspiring journey of Harry’s hospitalization, surgeries, and ultimate victory over death. Back From Code Blue strips us raw with grief, wondering how one woman could have withstood the emotional toll of those forty-four days. Then we rise, cheering each of Harry’s successes over the fated “zero percent chance of surviving.” Cathy and Harry lovingly bring the knowledge of heaven as home, of God’s hand in our lives, from our heads to our hearts.
Blaine Hammond –
How wonderful and poignant your writing style is… How it captivated me and brought me “inside the ropes” of your and Harry’s incredible ordeal. You describe all the myriad of emotions you went through with such clarity and honesty, yet never to the point of being maudlin or self-serving. This is a touching tale of panic, fear, hope, faith and victory!
I marvel at the maturity and inner strength that young Harrison exhibited throughout the entire ordeal while at the ripe old age of 14! Writing that long letter to Harry, expressing his inner most thoughts, love, devotion, and worry for his dad is something I doubt very many young people would even think to do, let alone have the wherewithal to do it.
The impact of the summer events on the White family and their many friends and acquaintances were inspirationally widespread. There isn’t much greater life satisfaction than being made aware that something you said or did had a positive impact on someone’s life or dream…. It doesn’t happen often, but it is humbling when it does!
I firmly believe the flood of prayers got God’s full attention and He graciously released Harry back to those who love him. What a tremendous miracle you were all part of. This is a wonderfully moving story of a near tragedy turned into a solid victory for God, faith, love and devotion!
Tom Lallas –
Back from Code Blue is a high-speed roller coaster ride of raw human emotion and profoundly conflicting feelings: exhilaration and agony, joy and anguish, courage and fear, strength and frailty, resolve and self-doubt. Code Blue is a treasure chest of life lessons and hard- earned wisdom stitched together by Cathy from her heart-felt emails and CaringBridge posts. It is a journal that chronicles a loving wife’s indomitable, relentless and irrepressible determination and courage. In
the face of a 0% chance of survival, Cathy, with stubborn intransigence, refused to accept any outcome other than full recovery which based on all medical evidence, was objectively implausible if not utterly impossible.
Exquisitely written with uncommon grace and elegance, Back from Code Blue is a riveting, spell-binding, must read, page-turner.
The July 23, 2009 letter written by Harrison, 14, to his dad, Harry, after paramedics rushed Harry to the hospital, is a priceless testimonial of a son’s love, devotion, respect, admiration, affection, loyalty, commitment and gratitude to and for his dad.
Code Blue should come with a warning disclaimer: any reader must remain tethered to a case of tissue to cope with a bucketload of tears that Back from Code Blue will elicit!
The final take away from Back from Code Blue is: Believe! Nothing is impossible!
Robin Leduc –
Dear Cathy,
I received your book yesterday afternoon. And while I sort of knew the story and definitely knew the outcome, I could not put it down until I finished it.
The story of your miracle is so inspiring and such tangible proof of how good God is, how good people are, and how powerful love and prayer is.
The pictures, songs, and letters offered up for your “Miracle Man’s” perfect healing, the ethereal visit with his grandmother, the devotion of family and friends – all made me feel as if I actually experienced this journey with you.
Thank you for sharing this most personal story of how 33 1/3, against all odds, came back to enjoy the beautiful life you built together.
Wishing you all abundant joy and love! Robin Leduc
Camie Russell –
I just finished!! I hesitate to even write this text after reading your beautiful book! You have a gift, actually many, but boy can you write!! Cathy, you had me in tears multiple times and in awe the entire book! I truly feel as though I have just relived the summer of 2009! I can already tell you that that will not be the only time I read it!!
Kathi White –
Cathy, you did it!
You put your extraordinary experience into such meaningful and beautiful words. I’m still dabbing my eyes with bunches of tissues….should have taken off the mascara before getting to the last page!
What can anyone who reads this book say when all is said and done? I’m so inspired, I’m impressed beyond words. It is transformative! I will refer to it again and again whenever I need a reminder of what matters and what really doesn’t matter at all. Thank you for this gift. It is golden.