Shannon O'Hara,
skating down the ice chasing after the puck, comes face to face with a
larger-than-life opposing team player. Never one to back down from anything,
barely five feet tall, Shannon tangles with the player and ends up with a penalty.
As she sits in the penalty box—only thinking about getting out in two
minutes—no one would ever imagine that this beautiful, vibrant, and competitive
young spirit will be gone in 54 days.
Written and inspired by the blog that Dan and Jen O'Hara wrote to keep in touch with their family, friends, and supporters near and far, Determined to Matter: A Family Facing Inoperable Brain Cancer follows the yearlong battle from diagnosis to death and exemplifies how to live the "new normal" every day, no matter what it entails. Shannon's struggle reveals why family, faith, and hope are so important in our daily lives and how the support of a community plays such a vital role, through the good times and especially the bad.
Purchase Determined to Matter in the Shannon O'Hara Foundation Store.
All book proceeds will be donated
to the Shannon O’Hara Foundation. Visit the site for more information: www.shannonoharafoundation.org
Praise for Determined to Matter:
Praise for Determined to Matter:
"This is a
remarkable story of a remarkable family who faced cancer and death of their
daughter Shannon — an all too common experience for families. Reading this book
helps us to be in touch with our own experiences with cancer and other health
crisis experienced by our family and friends. Shannon, her journey and this
story matters." — Margaret Perryman, President/CEO, Gillette Children's
Specialty Healthcare, St. Paul, MN
"...a beautiful, honest expression of what a family goes through. They warn that it's not sugar-coated. It's not, and that's why it's so good. It's full of the range of emotions anyone would feel. Dan and Jen express it all." — Mike Dougherty, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, MN
"While she may be gone, she is certainly not forgotten.'" — Paul Christian, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, MN
"Hundreds of people kept up on Shannon's condition as her parents, Dan and Jennifer O'Hara, chronicled their daughter's final months in an honest, heart-wrenching online journal.... Much like her passion for life and sense of humor, Shannon is remembered for her strength and determination." — Christina Killion Valdez, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, MN
"...a beautiful, honest expression of what a family goes through. They warn that it's not sugar-coated. It's not, and that's why it's so good. It's full of the range of emotions anyone would feel. Dan and Jen express it all." — Mike Dougherty, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, MN
"While she may be gone, she is certainly not forgotten.'" — Paul Christian, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, MN
"Hundreds of people kept up on Shannon's condition as her parents, Dan and Jennifer O'Hara, chronicled their daughter's final months in an honest, heart-wrenching online journal.... Much like her passion for life and sense of humor, Shannon is remembered for her strength and determination." — Christina Killion Valdez, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, MN
