Their world upended the day their son Zack collapsed on the football field and Pat and Tammy McLeod are reeling from the devastation. This book is part their journey through the injury and the rehabilitation that followed for Zach and part their journey of grief through having their son and not having their son.

Pat and Tammy are committed to each other for life, no exception and that commitment is what held them together as they struggled through their different personalities and thus their different ways of dealing with the grief and difficulties that overtook them. Pat saw what they had and Tammy saw what they lost, but through counseling they learned to make it work.

But the biggest reason I would encourage you to read this book is the journey of ambiguous grief. They lost so many things that day their son suffered his traumatic brain injury and yet he was still alive. How do you process that? You can't fully grief because he is still there and yet he's not. After much searching, Tammy found a book that helped her explain this kind of grief and it made such a difference to them on their journey. It also really helped them to have a grieving ceremony where they and their friends grieved their losses, but also a celebration where they rejoiced with what remained.

Ambiguous grief can occur in many different ways: dementia, stroke, brain injury and many other ways where the person is there physically, but not in their normal capacity or are still alive, but not able to be present.

Meanwhile, while the family struggles to come to terms with their new normal, Zach remains a cheeful, kind-hearted person who never meets a stranger and will wrap everyone in a hug. It was interesting to see how much of his compassionate nature remained while he struggled to remember something that happened three minutes before.

This is the story of a family, who with God's help, did the best they could and stayed faithful. They stayed faithful to God, to each other, and to their family.

I received this book from Tyndale via NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The love and strength of God shines through the pain, sorrow, and honesty of this couple. Pat & Tammy had to face unimaginable pain when their teenage son, Zach, suffered a traumatic brain injury. In this book they share how difficult it was for them to experience grief differently, continue to parent their other children through the changes to their family dynamic, and come to terms with the fact that their son would not come close to the recovery they had hoped and prayed for him. And yet, Zach’s positive attitude, joy and faith in God was a testimony to all who knew Zach, including his parents.

Tammy, especially struggled to understand her feelings of despair. Finally, after several years, she found an author who talked about ambiguous loss. Wikipedia defines this term as, “A loss that occurs without closure or clear understanding. This kind of loss leaves a person searching for answers, and thus complicates and delays the process of grieving, and often results in unresolved grief. Some examples are infertility, termination of pregnancy, disappearance of a family member, death of an ex-spouse, a family member being physically alive but in a state of cognitive decline.”

After discovering this concept of ambiguous loss, Tammy realized she needed to corporately grieve the losses they experienced through Zach’s injury and celebrate their joy in who he had become with family and friends. I felt like this section was particularly touching. Pat & Tammy shared specific aspects of the two services they held. The purpose of the first service was to express their grief and loss resulting from Zach’s injury and the purpose of the 2nd service was to express their joy that Zach was still with them and the wonderful young man he had become. The recitations and prayers spoken at the services were very impactful, especially the part where those in attendance responded to each statement of loss or joy with “We give thanks,” “Lord have mercy,” or ‘Thanks be to God.”

I highly recommend this book for anyone who has experienced this type of ambiguous loss. But seeing how we’ve all experienced loss of some kind or another, I think anyone could find something worthwhile and encouraging within these pages.

I received an ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was written so honestly and beautifully by the parents of a son who suffered a very serious traumatic brain injury while playing football in high school. Pat and Tammy detail their story of waiting in the unknown and then their battle for a sense of normalcy in their lives. They share how this tragedy impacted their family as a whole, their marriage and each individual person. By far, my favorite part of their story is the relationship their son Zach has with his Father despite the cup he was handed. This is a beautiful story of how God works in our suffering.

"Hit Hard " by Tammy and Pat McLeod is a true story. The McLeod's son Zach collapsed while playing football. He sustained a brain injury. He was rushed to the hospital for treatment after He collapsed. He had many surgeries . After the brain injury He was never really the same. The parents had to learn how to work together and the kids had to learn how to adapt to the changes with Zach. They had to look to God in the midst of their trials. They learned how to cope one day at a time. I appreciate the publisher and author for allowing me to read and review this book. I have posted my review on : Goodreads, facebook, Amazon, CBD.com, my blog, for church staff members. I am not obligated to give a positive review.