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by Laura King Edwards
by Laura King Edwards
Laura has it all: a great job, a loving family, a new husband, and a house in her hometown, where she can watch her sister, Taylor, grow up. But one month after her wedding, Laura and her family receive shocking news: Taylor has Batten disease. A rare, fatal disease that will cause Taylor to go blind, suffer seizures, and lose the ability to walk and talk. There is no cure. Laura thought she’d get to watch her baby sister grow up, but instead she’ll have to watch her die.
Unwilling to take no cure for an answer, Laura founds a charity with family and friends, Taylor’s Tale, to save children with the disease. Meanwhile, Taylor starts running, completing her first race blind. Inspired, Laura, a lifelong runner, begins running in half marathons to raise money and awareness. And also to run away from the pain.
Taylor’s Tale becomes a world leader in the fight against Batten disease, but not quickly enough to save Taylor. Stripped of her faith, Laura falls into a dark despair. But Taylor’s unwavering courage in the face of certain death gives Laura a renewed sense of purpose to turn her family’s tragedy into an opportunity—to ensure others won’t have to suffer as her sister has suffered.
Run to the Light is Laura’s inspiring account of how she found the courage to face indescribable loss, and of what it means to really believe.
"June book spotlight: 'Run to the Light' by Laura King Edwards" ThinkGenetic
“How Running Blindfolded Has Helped Me Cope With My Sister’s Rare Disease” Child Life Mommy
“Laura King Edwards – Run to the Light” — Charlotte Readers Podcast
“Rare Reading Before You Head to the 2019 RARE Patient Advocacy Summit” Global Genes
“Woman Ran Charlotte Half Marathon Blindfolded to Honor Visually-Impaired Sister” by Andrew Dawson, Runner’s World
“Woman running Charlotte Marathon blindfolded to honor sister” feature on WCNC
“Woman to run Charlotte marathon blindfolded” feature on WBTV
Charlotte mom (newborn!) to run Charlotte 1/2 marathon BLINDFOLDED by Molly Grantham, WBTV
“Run to the Light by Laura King Edwards: Cover Reveal and Giveaway” Carol Baldwin’s Blog
“Laura King Edwards: FACES of Charlotte” by Michelle Boudin, StyleBlueprint
“You’ll cheer for this close-knit family who didn’t ask to become Batten advocates, but were thrust into the limelight doing only what they knew to do, fight for their precious Taylor. Most of all, reading this heartwarming memoir will leave you hugging your family a little tighter.” — Deb Runs . . .
“Laura does not hold back on describing her fear, anger, depression, and anguish during the seven years that Taylor bravely fought the Batten monster. But she also eloquently shares the joy she experienced in the moments she shared with her brave little sister.” — Carol Baldwin’s Blog
“The memoir is an astonishing tale of a sister’s love and how she is coping with a tragic and inevitable future for her younger sibling. It’s also the tale of how one family’s activism has led to a gene therapy in development to treat Taylor’s inherited neurological condition.” — Ricki Lewis, DNA Science Blog
Details
Details
Bink Books
260 pp. ● 5.5×8.5
$16.95 (pb) ● $9.95 (eb)
ISBN 978-1-945805-83-7 (pb)
Memoir
Batten disease
Publication date: November 2018
“Run to the Light shows us that running is the ultimate faith healer, restoring belief not only in oneself but life’s possibilities. Taylor can’t run but her spirit is with Laura every stride, every breath and every finish line.” — Bart Yasso, member, Running USA Hall of Champions; former chief running officer, Runner’s World
“There is death in the air, but Laura King Edwards defies it every step of the way, running to beat the odds on behalf of her sister and every child suffering at the hand of an incurable disease. Beautifully and thoughtfully written, this personal account of triumph in the face of tragedy will steal your heart.” ~Linda Vigen Phillips, author of Crazy (Junior Library Guild selection and New York Public Library Best Books for Teens 2014)
“Laura King Edwards’s younger sister, Taylor, was diagnosed with Batten disease, a rare, degenerative brain disease with no known treatment or cure, just a few weeks before Taylor’s eighth birthday and a month after Laura’s wedding. You might be concerned that this memoir will be depressing. But you’d be wrong. Because of the author’s dazzling use of language, because of her brave wisdom, because of her intense love for her sister, this book is powerfully uplifting. Prepare for an emotional impact: you’ll discover, along with the author, how to find hope and meaning in the midst of life’s ruthless complexities.” ~Judy Goldman, author of five books including the memoir Losing My Sister
“In this powerful memoir, Run to the Light, a talented new writer, Laura King Edwards, tells a vivid, realistic, and heart-wrenching tale of supreme courage, perseverance, and faith in the face of unthinkable darkness. You will be weeping tears of sadness at the beginning and tears of inspiration at the end of this remarkable, sweet tale of a sister’s love and devotion. It is a tale full of beauty, power, and grace. Every page led to an inspiring ending, and I loved reading it!” ~Susan C. Ketchin, author of The Christ-Haunted Landscape: Faith and Doubt in Southern Fiction
“Laura King Edwards’s Run to the Light is an intensely moving, lyrical tribute to her sister Taylor, who has a form of a devastating inherited neurological condition called Batten disease. Laura was initially less-than-thrilled to become a big sister during her sophomore year of high school, and was at first resentful of her involvement in Taylor’s care. Laura could hardly have known that those were the good days, when Taylor was bright, beautiful, and active. The disease made its presence known slowly, and Laura relates the intensifying feelings as the diagnostic odyssey led from visual loss to a much more all-encompassing disorder. The family even trekked from their homes in North Carolina for Taylor to undergo experimental stem cell treatment in Oregon. Taylor is still beautiful, but Batten disease has taken its toll. Today she can’t eat, walk, or see. Yet she smells, smiles, hears, and loves. Taylor is still very much Taylor. In Run to the Light, Laura chronicles the family’s battle against Batten, culminating in her efforts to run a half marathon blindfolded in Taylor’s honor. It is a compelling and unforgettable story of the love of two sisters.” ~Ricki Lewis, geneticist and author of The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It
“Laura takes us on a journey that is so compelling, so honest, so raw, so heartfelt, it’s nearly impossible to put it down. Crafted with love and wrapped in vulnerability and strength, it’s the kind of story that makes you want to stand up and take immediate action. I’m inspired and awed, and I know that Laura and her family are creating the kind of change that will impact thousands and thousands of ‘Taylors’ to come.” ~Jen Band, TEDx speaker and Playing for Others founder and executive director
“In Run to the Light, Laura King Edwards proves that one person really can make a difference in the world. Some tasks, from running a half marathon blindfolded to finding a cure for Batten disease, can feel impossible at first. But through hard work and never giving up, Laura shows that there is much to be hopeful about and anything is possible.” ~Jesica D’Avanza, runner, marathon coach, and author of runladylike.com
Laura King Edwards is an award-winning writer, passionate rare disease advocate and experienced marketing professional. Following her sister’s infantile Batten disease diagnosis, she co-founded Taylor’s Tale, a public charity dedicated to fighting rare disease; Laura serves as vice president, writes the Taylor’s Tale blog and runs races nationwide to support the cause.
Oracle Fine Arts Review, Endurance Magazine, The Charlotte Observer and many others have published. Laura also authored twelve short stories for two editions of Novant Health’s One Patient at a Time. Laura is a member of the Women’s National Book Association and a past member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, North Carolina Writers Network and Charlotte Writers’ Club. She also served on the Board of Trustees at The Fletcher School. By day, Laura is a content lead at Wray Ward, where she crafts compelling, effective content for leading brands. Previously, she worked in marketing at Novant Health. Laura is a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate with a bachelor of arts in English and a minor in creative writing. She is a Charlotte native.
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