In the Midst of Winter: Reaching for Hope While Living with Chronic Illness

As a teenager, Danice Hope suffered worsening fatigue and depression each winter. During the summers, her health would improve, and she learned to fit as much joy into life as possible. After six years, she was finally diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder. Over time, she realized that there was also beauty in winter. She found a poster with flowers growing out of the snow that said, "In the midst of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." After moving south with the hope of easier winters, she began developing new health problems. The biggest surprise was that she could be sitting slumped over in a wheelchair in the emergency room, barely able to speak, and doctor after doctor told her that she wasn't ill, or that it was "just anxiety". After going to twenty-four different doctors in the next year, she was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. Stunned at the loss of her hopes and dreams, she gradually learned to separate facts from false traditions, to balance her health, and to trust in the Savior's ability to bring hope and renewal. She learned that flowers can grow not only in the snow, but also in the desert sun. "Original heartfelt poems that are truly lovely... a wonderful, lyrical sense to her writing." – Debra Erfert, author of the Window of Time Trilogy