One night can change everything. Abby Banks put her healthy, happy infant son to sleep, but when she awoke the next morning, she felt as though she was living a nightmare. Her son, Wyatt, was paralyzed. There was no fall, no accident, no warning. A rare autoimmune disease attacked his spinal cord, and there was no cure. In an instant, all her hopes and dreams for him were wiped away. The life she envisioned for her family was gone, and she was frozen by the fear of a future she never imagined.
As she struggled to come to grips with her son’s devastating diagnosis and difficult rehabilitation, she found true hope in making a simple choice, a choice to love anyway—to love her son, the life she didn’t plan, and the God of hope, who is faithful even when the healing doesn’t come. In Love Him Anyway, Abby shares her family’s journey from heartbreak to triumph and reminds us that hope and joy can be found in life’s hardest places.
Endorsements for Love Him Anyway
“Love Him Anyway is a powerful story with a message of beauty and courage that everyone needs to hear! Abby writes about a very raw and difficult experience in a way that is vulnerable, humbled, and uplifting. It is a gift to be able to peer into the transformative hope of this family’s journey, and see how God’s grace and goodness shines through even the most heartbreaking times.”
—Courtney Westlake
author of A Different Beautiful
“Love Him Anyway is an incredible story of love, hope, loss, and the strength of a family and more importantly a Mamma on a mission. Abby truly is an inspiration to all, and her writing is real and powerful and truly reminds you that life happens and although things might not go the way we planned, we can’t stop living, loving, and trusting in God’s plan. I am truly inspired by Wyatt and his amazing Mamma!”
—Victoria Arlen,
ESPN On Air Personality, Paralympic Gold Medalist, and Transverse Myelitis Survivor
“I highly recommend Love Him Anyway to anyone who is dealing with any sort of obstacle in life. Wyatt has had to deal with adversity at a very young age but chooses to be happy and live life to the fullest. His story is a triumph of the human spirit and a reminder that life is worth celebrating even in the hard moments.”
—Eric LeGrand,
Former Rutgers University Football Player
and Spinal Cord Injury Activist
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Easy to do when your Christian life is going well. But it is an entirely different undertaking when you wake up one morning and life as you knew it the night before no longer exists. Such is the case in this poignant, thoughtfully written story of a tenacious little boy’s strength and courage, the love of his mother, and the beautiful tapestry woven in community during trying times. Heartbreaking yet full of hope and resiliency, Love Him Anyway reminds us all that no suffering is wasted and God uses our most difficult times for His greatest glory.”
—Heather Gray Blalock,
author of Faith, Hope, Love & Deployment
“Love Him Anyway presents a story of love and triumph through the eyes of a mother who has lived an experience that no one can imagine, until it happens to them. Transverse Myelitis struck her youngest son, Wyatt, at the age of 7 months and their lives changed. While terrifying and grim at first glance, Abby Banks is able to tell a story of truth, hope, opportunities, and possibilities of what their family has experienced in this journey and what they look forward to in years to come. With faith and strength and acknowledgment of God as their Higher Power, Abby has created a ‘how to’ story of Wyatt’s story. It is without reservation that OPAF recommends Love Him Anyway and with pride that the Banks crew has become part of our family.”
—Robin Burton,
Executive Director Orthotic & Prosthetic Activities Foundation (OPAF) & The First Clinics
“Imagine you are at work or just playing and your arms, legs, and torso start to tingle. You think you’re tired and just need to rest. Little do you know that your body is betraying you at that moment and is attacking your spinal cord; in a matter of hours you will be paralyzed. It happened to me, and it happened to Wyatt. Love Him Anyway is a powerful story of hardship, determination, and conquest. Have your tissues ready! Let Wyatt’s story spur you to spread awareness and support funding for transverse myelitis research.”
—Mike L. Jezdimir,
Chairman Mike L. Jezdimir Foundation and Transverse Myelitis Survivor
“The story of Love Him Anyway grips the heart in such a personal way because Abby faces one of every mother’s fears—watching her child suffer with no way to stop it. But as difficult the experience, and as much as she would want to run away from God, Abby’s story is about running toward the God of all hope. Abby encourages the reader to move from a place of brokenness to a place of celebration.”
—Sarah Bragg
author of Body. Beauty. Boys. The Truth About Girls and How We See Ourselves and host Surviving Sarah podcast