A Story Unfinished 99 Days With Eliot Book Review

Wow.

There aren't a lot of books that I read these days that pull me into the story the way: A Story Unfinished: 99 Days With Eliot did.  The book is written by Matt Mooney and goes into detail of their days, both before, during and after with Eliot.

There were parts as I was reading I smiled along and many other parts I shed quite a few tears with them.

Quick summary from the back page: 

Eliot wasn't suppose to make it to full term.

At thirty weeks into the pregnancy, Matt and Ginny Mooney were told their child had a genetic disorder that made his birth unlikely. If their baby lived, it would be for only hours or perhaps a few days.

But Eliot was born and lived for 99 days. And every one of those days was a gift that would change his family forever.

At Eliot's funeral, 99 balloons were released, one for each day of his life on earth. That simple act of remembrance stirred the community and received national attention. Eliot's story has been featured on Oprah and the TODAY show, and a video about his life has been seen by millions on YouTube.

And now, Eliot's father, Matt, recounts his family's remarkable journey in A Story Unfinished, a chronicle of pain, redemption, and God's goodness even in the darkest days.

I can't say that I know what this family went through with this precious baby, but they took me along for the ride with them and it was quite the journey.

Decisions that they had to make along the way, decisions that no one wants to have to make. Deciding to carry Eliot for as long as Ginny could, keeping the faith, praying for a miracle, hoping for the best, and even losing some faith (even for a short period of time) and being mad at the man upstairs. 

Because of Matt and Ginny, Eliot had a chance to live and boy did he. The impact that he made on the lives of thousands of people that were following the story via the blog and facebook postings. Everyday for Eliot was a celebration and a chance to do something new. How many of us can say that at 20 days old we went out for coffee? Birthday celebrations were daily, little milestones that most take for granted were a cause for celebration. 

Little Eliot touched so many lives and taught so many lessons and his memory lives on through the 99 Balloons Foundation which is a rEcess site, "building relationships through serving families affected by a disability."  If you are wondering where the name 99 Balloons came from, that is how many days that little Eliot was living his life, and he lived so much life in those 99 days.  On the day of his funeral, 99 balloons were released into the sky. 

If you get a chance to read this book, I really recommend that you do. It is available on Amazon right now. I would just recommend reading it with tissues nearby, but don't be sad for to long while reading it, be happy, live with Eliot, live with his memory, go for the ride for it is a ride that you will always remember.

As noted from the last sentence of the book: "The story is not finished yet."

You can also check out the following:

Matt's Blog: www.theatypicallife.com
Ginny's Blog: www.orbitofthemooneys.blogspot.com
Eliot's Blog: www.mattandginny.blogspot.com
99 Balloons: www.99balloons.org

Disclaimer: All words except for quoted text are my own and were not influenced by any outside source. I received no compensation for this posting, however, I did receive a copy of the book so that I could do a proper book review. Thank you to Beacon Hill Press for allowing me to do the review on Eliot's story.