By Lee Woodruff, Bob Woodruff
In January 2006,in Iraq, when the armored vehicle Bob Woodruff was riding in was struck by an IED.Woodruff was gravely injured by the shrapnel that had pierced his brain, battled pneumonia, sepsis, and more. With part of his skull removed, his wife Lee recalled that ''his brain was still swollen out of his head like a giant tumor.''
There may be no end of treatment for Bob Woodruff, who still undergoes cognitive therapy. As his wife Lee says, things that once seemed small now loom large: the first time her husband could figure a tip, the first time he got on an airplane himself. And yet he's one of the lucky ones, and not only that he survived the attack.
It's hard to be too critical of a book like this. Bob Woodruff and his wife went through a horrendous experience, and they deserve kudos for writing with honesty.
In an Instant is the frank and compelling account of how Bob and Lee’s lives came together, were blown apart, and then were miraculously put together again–and how they persevered, with grit but also with humor, through intense trauma and fear. Here are Lee’s heartfelt memories of their courtship, their travels as Bob left a law practice behind and pursued his news career and Lee her freelance business, the births of her children and the challenges of motherhood.
Bob Woodruff in turn recalls the moment he caught the journalism “bug” while covering Tiananmen Square for CBS News, his love of overseas assignments and his guilt about long separations from his family, and his pride at attaining the brass ring of television news–being chosen to fill the seat of the late Peter Jennings.
In this book , for the first time, the Woodruffs reveal the agonizing details of Bob’s terrible injuries and his remarkable recovery. We learn that Bob’s return home was not an end to the journey but the first step into a future they have learned not to fear but to be grateful for.
In an Instant is much more than the dual memoir of love and courage. It is an important, wise, and inspiring guide to coping with tragedy and an extraordinary drama of marriage, family, war, and nation.
In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing is the story of a brave and courageous family. Bob Woodruff was determined to overcome his injury and return to a normal life. Lee endured a very painful and heartwrenching period from the moment she learned of Bob's wound. The children, reflecting the love and caring they had received from their parents up to that point, also endured much as their father was recovering and their mother was dividing her time between them and supporting Bob. In these days of disfunctional families, it is truly an inspirational experience to read this story of a very functional and loving family.
A percentage of the proceeds from this book will be donated to the Bob Woodruff Family Fund for Traumatic Brain Injury.
2 comments:
This was a very moving story of trial, tribulation, hope, strength,love and miracles. I would like to thank Lee for putting into words some of my own feelings of going through two separate kidney transplants with my husband. (He too recovered). I am so happy for the two of you. Thank you, Bob, for calling attention to the needs of Walter Reed and our injured vets. God bless and continue to heal you. Your fan, Glenda Bowers-Arkansas
"In an Instant" was amazing, compelling, informative and packed full of adventure and emotion. The love, compassion and devotion between Bob and Lee is inspiring. I feel so honored to have shared their story through this book.
Thank you Bob and Lee for sharing your journey. God's blessings and best wishes to the entire Woodruff family.
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