Keep Your Head Up

A testament to the depth of familial love and our ability to endure in the face of childhood terminal illness Keep Your Head Up is the incredible tale of one family's path to perseverance in the face of devastating odds. When author Tasha Faruqui gave birth to her second daughter, Soraya, she knew immediately that something was wrong. Yet as years passed and every medical test for Soraya came back normal or inconclusive, Tasha began to realize that science doesn't always have the answers, and there are some issues in life that simply cannot be fixed. Yet, we can continue to find happy moments and celebrate the beauty of what we have. This story gives a voice to parents and loved ones of terminally ill children, illuminating the way to comfort, community, and unbreakable hope. This book discusses terminal illness with raw honesty, demonstrating how families can provide transparency to life-limited children around a terminal diagnosis, comfort them when they are afraid of what comes next, and continue to embrace life despite ongoing challenges. With beautiful narration and a heartfelt perspective, Keep Your Head Up testifies to the true depth of familial love and the hard things we can endure with grace and resilience. This book: Provides guidance, hope, and understanding to parents and caregivers of terminally ill children Tells a story that will resonate with families facing elusive diagnoses, fickle healthcare systems, and emotional turmoil Offers hope that it is possible to find joy in the face of tragedy and give sick children the gift of a fully lived life Presents the balanced and relatable perspective of an award-winning pediatrician and parent to a child in hospice Parents, family, and friends of terminally ill children, as well as healthcare professionals and educators, will appreciate Keep Your Head Up for its candor and its value as a guide to moving through a situation no family should have to face.

Prologue: Boulevard of Broken Dreams ix Chapter Playlist xiii 1 Waving Through a Window 1 2 Send Me on My Way 9 3 Perfect 17 4 Take the Power Back 27 5 Nothing Better 35 6 Father of Mine 41 7 Follow You into the Dark 47 8 Welcome to Your Life 57 9 It’s Quiet Uptown 65 10 Cherub Rock 73 11 Ways to Go 81 12 Nuthin’ but a “G” Thang 87 13 Fix You 93 14 Underwater 99 15 All I Need 105 16 Vindicated 113 17 I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For 121 18 Float On 127 19 The 7th Element 137 20 Mr. Brightside 141 21 The World Has Turned and Left Me Here 147 22 Sleepyhead 153 23 Just Breathe 161 24 False Confidence 169 25 Good Life 175 26 Home 181 27 Pompeii 187 28 Riptide 191 29 Don’t Give Up on Me 197 30 Time of Your Life 205 31 Landslide 209 32 Take Me to Church 217 33 Let Me In 225 34 Another Life 231 Conclusion: Take This Ride 237 Acknowledgments 241 About the Author 243 Index 245