Life Minutes - by Tara Heaton

About the Book

A mother embarks on a desperate quest to save her daughter from seizures, and struggles to keep herself-and other kids and her marriage-together at the same time. Tara Heaton skillfully balances the gravity with humor, wit and inspiration.

Book Synopsis

From a young age, Tara Heaton learned to rely on an internal flame for resilience. That fire blazes as never before after devastating seizures threaten to debilitate her healthy 12-year-old daughter. Tara becomes an unstoppable mother on a mission, believing that ending epilepsy will restore her daughter's life and dissolve the grief and trauma inflicted on her family. Through this warrior's plight, Tara discovers that heartache is not heartbreak. She learns that we can repurpose pain to make room for new depths of freedom, love, and joy.

Life Minutes clears a path for readers to discover their gifts within buried emotions and tap into energy that keeps hope alive. Tara Heaton is a master storyteller whose skill shines through in this unforgettable story woven with relatable fears, unpredictable humor, and fierce honesty.

Life Minutes chronicles how Tara exhausts traditional medical treatments, then seeks holistic and even radical remedies, traveling thousands of miles and depleting her savings. As her daughter's brain gradually declines, Tara becomes more determined to find a cure, even sacrificing the needs of her business, her other two children, and a marriage that ultimately ends after a surprising revelation.

Tara's obsession with a cure is first interrupted by her younger daughter's assertion that Life Minutes are treasures that should not be wasted. Even in the face of turmoil, Tara learns to embrace life's abundant gifts, realizing that heartache is what fuels the flame of joy.

With raw truth and colorful writing, Tara carries the reader into her journey of unimaginable challenges and heartwarming moments, making them relatable to anyone with the capacity to love. It's an unforgettable story that sparkles with wit, humor, and even new romance.

Life Minutes is a powerful reminder that we cannot wait for the absence of pain to celebrate the life that is now. We could be waiting a lifetime.

Review Quotes

"Raw and unapologetically real, Life Minutes is like a power-walk with your best friend. Tara Heaton's words are a dagger and a balm to the heart where the refusal to identify as a victim defines radical resilience. It's an unforgettable memoir of fiery hope, tenacious wit, and unwavering maternal devotion - a risk-taker's battle cry to love."

- Madeleine Goforth

Screenwriter, Actor, Storyteller

"Tara Heaton is a writer with courage, determination, insight, wisdom, and love. The immediacy of her words invited me into a dangerous journey and kept me there. She has risen and transformed the ravages of heartbreak and despair. She shares her story with unabashed forthrightness, and I am moved beyond words."

-Pam Noble

Author, Poet, Mother