Endorsements

“Losing a parent is one of life’s most difficult moments and, in some cases, a difficult season. Shelly’s heartwarming, poignant, personal account of her decade-long journey of saying goodbye to her mom who suffered from memory loss will be a source of comfort and hope to anyone going through a similar experience.”
Carey Nieuwhof
Bestselling Author, Speaker, and Host of the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast

“In The Longest Goodbye, Shelly gives us hope and help to navigate when a loved one faces memory loss. Shelly shares her decade-long journey watching her mother decline with Alzheimer’s disease. Through heartfelt stories and reflections, she gives her readers a glimpse into the pain of seeing a loved one slowly fade away while at the same time looking for hope-filled moments along the way. Shelly expresses how joy and pain can co-exist and where to look when everything feels lost. And most of all, her experience shows how the bonds of family and unconditional love carried her through. This book isn’t about the clinical part of the disease; it’s about the heart and how to hold on through all the seasons of memory loss.”
Kevin Scott
Author, Leadership Expert, and Co-founder of ADDO

“It’s much easier to write fiction than to share a hard, human story of love and loss for others to read. Shelly has brilliantly authored pages that share the hard and the good of loving someone fiercely, while losing them slowly to Alzheimer’s. Shelly is both honest and honoring with her words as she draws the reader into the journey of the one thing she feared most—her mother’s diagnosis and slow decline due to Alzheimer’s. Shelly’s words paint a stunning picture of a brave and tender response to human suffering. Be moved in the reading of this beautiful remembrance.”
Cathie Ostapchuk
Author of Brave Women, Bold Moves
Co-Founder and Lead Catalyst for Gather Women
Host of The Strong Way Podcast

“In The Longest Goodbye, Shelly invites her readers into the journey of her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease. From the strong bonds of their special mother and daughter friendship to becoming a stranger to the mother who cannot remember, Shelly writes with the honesty and insight of a daughter processing the frozen grief of Alzheimer’s and the long thawing of emotion, awaiting death’s second chill. If you or someone you know is dealing with the pain of losing someone before they are gone, this book is a companion on your journey. Written as a friend who understands and with the wisdom of a faith holding on to hope, this book is for you.”
Matt Tapley
Lead Pastor, Lakemount Worship Centre

“Shelly leads her readers through the stages of saying goodbye to someone who is still physically present as they live with dementia. Woven throughout the book are firsthand stories of how her family wrestled through the realization that life was going to look different and how God met them in the joy and in the pain. Shelly beautifully describes her deep assurance she is still known, seen, and loved by her mom. What a gift this journey will be to so many others as they navigate Alzheimer’s disease with their loved ones. Shelly’s words will be comforting, relatable, and hope-giving to others walking this same road.”
Melissa McEachern
Chief Operating and Content Officer at Crossroads Christian Communications