Her struggle, coupled with the demands of caring for a fragile baby and juggling her family's needs, pulled her into a downward spiral of depression. "The Year My Son and I Were Born" is Soper's brutally honest yet beautiful journey of how, through the help of antidepressants and interactions with family, friends, and other individuals, she gained a new perspective on life. Above all, her relationship with her son began to strengthen. His radiant presence pushed through the outer layers of herself, where fear and guilt festered, and reached the center of her very being - where love, acceptance, and gratitude were waiting in abundance.

Reviews

""The Year My Son And I Were Born "is a deeply honest, extremely moving, and lovingly-written memoir that tells a story few books are willing to tell. Taking us through her first year as the mother of a child with Down Syndrome, Kathryn Soper shares the contradictory emotions, self-doubts, and even spiritual questions that many young parents experience during that time but rarely admit even to friends. Along the way, her graceful, unsentimental, and gently humorous writing takes us through many struggles: navigating unfamiliar medical terrain, nurturing her six older children, keeping her marriage intact, and, above all else, accepting her son for who he is. In the end, she comes to see how to live life in a new way -- and so did I. I'm so glad Kathryn Soper had the courage to open her heart, mind, and spirit to readers. She has written a book that really matters." --Rachel Simon, Author of "Riding the Bus with My Sister"""
"Kathryn Soper's "The Year My Son and I Were Born" is a st