"Prayerful Warrior Mom: Embracing Faith through the Storms of Your Child's Congenital Heart Journey" by Tracy A. Ripley is a deeply moving and practical guide for mothers facing the heart-wrenching reality of a child's congenital heart defect. Tracy Ripley, drawing from her own profound experiences, interlaces a narrative that combines personal storytelling with spiritual guidance, aiming to provide solace and strength to mothers facing similar challenges. Ripley's journey through her child's diagnosis and treatment is filled with emotional highs and lows, and she shares these moments with raw honesty and vulnerability. Her story is one of unwavering faith, demonstrating how a strong spiritual foundation can provide the courage and resilience needed to face such overwhelming trials. She emphasizes the power of prayer, illustrating how it can serve as a source of comfort, guidance, and strength in the darkest of times. The book also delves into practical aspects, offering advice on navigating the medical landscape, building a supportive community, and caring for oneself while caring for a child with special needs. Ripley addresses the emotional and psychological toll on families, providing strategies for managing stress, maintaining hope, and fostering a positive outlook despite the uncertainties. Throughout "Prayerful Warrior Mom," Ripley weaves in biblical references and spiritual reflections, encouraging readers to lean on their faith as a source of empowerment. Her message is one of hope, resilience, and the transformative power of faith in the face of life's most challenging storms. This book is a beacon of light for any parent walking the difficult path of a child's congenital heart journey, offering both practical support and spiritual nourishment.
Tracy Ripley is a devoted wife, mother, and stepmother to four wonderful children. Her youngest child's diagnosis with congenital heart disease (CHD) in 2013 profoundly shaped her family's life and faith. Tracy attributes her unwavering faith to the trials they have faced, and her inspiring testimony has brought hope and awareness to many other families navigating the challenges of CHD.
With a robust 27-year career in accounting and finance, Tracy decided to follow her childhood dream of becoming a published author. This brave leap has allowed her to blend her professional discipline with her passion for storytelling. Her writing often reflects her deep faith and the resilience she has cultivated through her personal experiences.
Tracy’s debut book, Prayerful Warrior Mom, has been awarded the Gold Medal Award in the 2024 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards. She also achieved the First Place Winner (in three separate categories) in the 2024 BookFest Awards and was a Best Book Awards (BBA) Finalist in 2024. Her book made the Grand Prize short list and received honorable mention in the Spiritual category of the prestigious Eric Hoffer International Book Award. Tracy's work explores themes of faith, perseverance, and hope, resonating deeply with readers and providing comfort and inspiration to those on similar journeys.
When I was young, I had my whole life planned out. I knew exactly how old I was going to be when I got married, how many children, and even how many boys and how many girls I would have!
I married my husband and his two young children in the summer of '99. We grew as a blended family and over the next 10 years of our new life together, I learned what is meant by the saying, "family isn't defined by flesh and blood." It was my love for my stepchildren that made me long to expand our little family. As soon as I finished my degree, my husband and I began trying to have a child together. At that time, I didn't expect there to be any "trying" about it. I truly thought it would happen right away; however, that was when I learned that life doesn't always work out the way we had planned.
Over the next 3-years, I experienced a deep longing for the life I had dreamed as a child. Month after month, I was met with disappointment, heartache, and frustration. With each negative result, I would hear the same unhelpful response from friends and loved ones, "You have to stop stressing over it!" That was much easier to say than to do. Then, in the summer of '07, I laid my burdens at the foot of the cross and put my trust in the Lord.
Book Excerpt
Prayerful Warrior Mom
Three years of month-after-month heartache waiting and hoping for a child of my own resulted in the resolution that I was not meant to be a birth mother. I was grateful God had blessed me with the opportunity to be a stepmother to Rian and Kearston (Rob’s older two children), and I accepted they would be the only children we had.
Comment on this Bubble
Your comment and a link to this bubble will also appear in your Facebook feed.