Living Proof - by Tiffany Graham Charkosky

Book Synopsis

When a hereditary cancer threat echoes her mother's journey, one woman chooses to rewrite her story--crafting a radiant memoir about embracing life's precious moments and finding strength in the infinite power of family love.

Tiffany Graham Charkosky was eleven years old when her mother, Julie, died. Eighteen years later, she discovers that the genetic mutation that took her mother has been passed down to Tiffany herself. But with this devastating news, Tiffany finds a certain strength in hope, resilience, and knowledge. She will fight for her family's future.

In this intimate memoir, Tiffany shares her challenging journey forward, mapping out a plan for preventative screenings, genetic testing, and surgeries, as well as a reflective journey into the past as traumatic memories of her mother's illness and death resurface. Memories, too, of an indomitable love that informed Tiffany's adolescence, and her own motherhood, and would give Tiffany an optimistic understanding of just how precious even the smallest moments in life can be.

Now, thriving years beyond the age that claimed her mother, Tiffany embraces each day with fierce intention--her path illuminated by vigilant self-care, deep gratitude, and a family bond that proves the human spirit can transcend its darkest fears.

Review Quotes

"A relatable, honest, poignant look into motherhood, love, and overcoming. Inspiring and hopeful. Loved it!" --Zibby Owens, host of Totally Booked with Zibby

"Living Proof is a testament to the power of courage, hope, and love. Above all, love. I read this heartbreaking but life-affirming book in one sitting." --Thrity Umrigar, bestselling author of The Space Between Us and Honor

"Tiffany Graham Charkosky writes a beautiful, compelling narrative about motherhood, death, and grief...But it is the incredible way that she writes about love intertwined with forgiveness that creates a memoir worth returning to again and again." --Brandi Larsen, cowriter of Uncultured

"In this honest, unflinching memoir, Tiffany Graham Charkosky shares a deeply personal story that is at times wrenching but ultimately empowering--one that shows it is possible to rewrite the future." --Laura Maylene Walter, author of Body of Stars

"Tiffany Graham Charkosky draws a shimmering narrative line across generations, from the mother she lost to the children she fears leaving. In the minimally charted land of genetic testing, this book acts as a bold, unflinching, and ultimately heartening travelogue." --Cheryl E. Klein, author of Crybaby and senior editor at MUTHA Magazine

"Vivid and heartrending...Tiffany shares the story of facing a diagnosis straight on, ultimately showing us how to be brave, generous, and--finally--forgiving to herself and the body she was born into. This memoir was impossible to put down." --Margaret Kimball, author of And Now I Spill the Family Secrets

"Charkosky weaves a profoundly moving story of connection, hope, and all the ways legacy unfolds backward and forward through time. While Charkosky's story is sparked by Lynch syndrome, she taps into the deepest truth of life--we are infinitely connected to everyone who came before us and everyone who will come after." --Cait Weiss Orcutt, author of Valleyspeak

"Living Proof is a moving and beautifully written--masterfully constructed--memoir. It is also a gripping, almost terrifying journey, during which Tiffany Graham Charkosky is forced to travel from the comforting world of a loving family and rewarding career into the mysteries of genetic predestination." --David Lynn, editor emeritus of The Kenyon Review