Product Description
Marcella Callicutt was born in Coleridge, North Carolina, in 1949. In 1967, at the age of sixteen, she married and planned to start a family. By the age of seventeen she became a mother, feeling her life was now headed for true happiness. Three months later she learned her child had Cystic Fibrosis, a disease she and her husband carried in their genes. This is her story, taking you through the good times and the sad with her daughters’ illness. Read how she survived and dealt with the trials of death and illness.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 3 reviews)

Bob Derr, author of "Burke's Tour"

This book reinforced much of my own personal journey with my youngest son who died due to cystic fibrosis (CF). I appreciated the author sharing her thoughts, feelings, and profound faith.
March 17, 2007

very helpful in the CF journey

My 2.5 yr old daughter was diagnosed with CF 3 months ago; our 9 month old son does not have it, and we have a child on the way that we will not know about until after birth.

I read this entire book in 2.5 hours during my son's nap - I'm glad it was a fast read, because I wouldn't have been able to put it down! I cried hard the ENTIRE time, but of course much of the content really hit home for me. Her book reminds me that this disease is very unpredictable in how it strikes and when. While it makes me more pessimistic (or maybe just more realistic) about my own childrens' futures, it has also been another stepping stone in preparing me for the realities of the journey.

While many advances have come for CF patients since this book took place, the story is not much different - the enzymes, the pulmonary treatments, the hospitalizations, the mother crying in agony.

I was surprised to learn a few things about the psychological aspects of losing one's children - when they have been in so much pain, it is actually a relief to see them "sleeping" peacefully at death; also the great responsiblity her 4 yr old took on to try to stay alive until her mother released her from that promise. And despite the 3-in-4 chance that any given child of the couple will NOT have CF, she had 3 children in a row WITH it.

I was grateful for her mention of God throughout the story; I know I would not have any grasp on the sorrows of CF without my own reliance on my faith. It is obvious the author would not have either. I have witnessed non-believers blindly searching for answers in the dark after the unexpected and unexplainable death of a loved one, and it makes me so grateful to have found faith.

I do wish she would have touched more on what having children with this illness may have done to her relationship with her husband. While she mentioned that he agreed with all her major decisions (making dealing with the illness MUCH easier), he is not in the story much at all. We learn at the end of the book that the two divorced after 21 years. What could they have done differently in that time to stay together?
August 02, 2006

inspirational

From A taste of salt was the most heat wrenching true story I have ever read. The author truly bared her soul while telling the sad story of dealing with the loss of her children to Cystic Fibrosis. Her faith in God was apparent throughout her story. Any parent who reads this book will understand the true meaning of being blessed with a healthy child. I reccomend it highly and suggest you have a box of kleenex near-by while you read it.
May 31, 2004

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