22 Hours of Grace: A Journey of Letting Go

by Meghan Santel, Jessica Wood

After many ups and downs, Meghan finally felt like life was in a good place. She and her husband had reconciled their marriage, their two boys were happy and healthy, and they were now pregnant with what they hoped would be their first daughter. Then, an ultrasound revealed that, although it was, indeed, the girl of their dreams, she had a terminal birth defect known as anencephaly. After resisting pressure to have an abortion, Meghan went on to give birth to Evelynn Grace and learned that everything she was searching for is on the other side of letting go. What Others Are Saying About 22 Hours of Grace : "I couldn’t put this book down. The twists and turns of Meghan’s life had me hooked from the very beginning. As a dad, it broke my heart, but even more so it opened my eyes to the impact that one person’s decision can make on so many lives. This story will serve as my reminder to consider that what appears to be the more difficult path, is often the most rewarding." — Josh Turner, Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author . "As a parent, I was nervous to read a book about losing a child. I didn’t want my mind to go there. But I quickly realized this isn’t a story about loss; it’s about life, faith, and family. Meghan’s vulnerability and cutthroat honesty had me laughing out loud one minute and crying the next. I think it’s a mustread for all moms and a beautiful and freeing reminder that we’re not the ones in charge!" — Sydney Anderson, Youth Pastor at First Congregational Church . "I have cared for numbers of women diagnosed prenatally with lethal anomalies/birth defects. One study found that 40% of women will continue these pregnancies. Many people ask why or how someone can continue these pregnancies. This book is for these women, their partners, their families, and their friends. It should also be required reading for all providers working with these families. Through self-exploration, honesty, tears, and humor the author helps her family and community turn tremendous sadness into a celebration of life." — Bruce A Morris MD, Maternal Fetal Medicine About the Meghan and Jessica are childhood friends. With the help of grandparents and babysitters, they met at coffee shops to work on this book. It took them two years to complete. Meghan Meghan lives in rural Illinois and is the personal chef and Uber driver to her husband and three sons. She is passionate about bringing awareness to anencephaly, the birth defect that afflicted her late daughter, and encouraging others to trust in God’s plan when an unborn child is terminally diagnosed. Jessica Wood : Jessica lives in Illinois with her family. This is her first of many published books.

105 pages, Paperback

Published June 19, 2020

Reviews

[Brent Furrow]

This book is probably not one I would have read except it was given to me by a friend. As a sentimental guy, stories like this just tug at my heartstrings way too much and they’re difficult for me to read. They tear me up inside and leave me an emotional wreck—but then again, isn’t that the essence from where the human condition should grow?

Jessica Wood’s first-person account of Meghan Santel’s pregnancy loss poignantly describes how you can’t write the results of how other people will take the news of your tragedy. We all process earth-shattering information in different ways, as evidenced by various reactions from Santel’s family and friends. Even Tommy, Megan’s husband, at first suggest terminating the pregnancy of their baby after learning she would be born with anencephaly. Thank goodness they didn’t, or the book would have ended at chapter 4 without the transformational beauty recounted in the later chapters.

Instead, this book goes on to describe the countless blessings that the Santels and their sons experienced— before, during, and even years after Evelynn Grace’s short life. Only God can take a person whose time was but a mere 22 hours on planet Earth and teach us so much wisdom. Evelynn’s presence transcends time, and I’m thankful there is so much to be learned from her story.

Tragedies have a unique way of either driving a wedge between humans and God—or a mysterious supernatural way of bringing humans closer with God. I love how this family embraced the latter, and grew in their faith through the trials and medical visits surrounding this ordeal. The Santels became closer with their biological family, church family, friends, and God. And author Jessica Wood remarkably captures the strengthening of their faith through the book’s progression.

Other themes that touched my heart through this reading were the unifying rally of the community in this little Central Illinois town that came together to wear and display green ribbons in support of the Santels. And I love how author Wood completely captures the unapologetically honest words and thoughts of Santel—there’s no sugarcoating her anger, resentment, shock, grief, and heartbreak. The descriptions are raw, real, and human, as we would all likely think or feel if in her place.

Have plenty of Kleenex on hand before sitting down to read this story. You’ll ride the roller coaster of emotions, but the end of the book will remind you that memories of loved ones go on, and we will carry them with us in our hearts so long as we shall live. Hope pervades all, until that day when we shall be reunited again. I highly recommend this book to all who have experienced loss, but cling on to hope and optimism, as God’s grace can permeate even the darkest of life’s moments.

[Lisa Rademeyer]

Very good book. It was well written and takes you through the phases of losing a new born. It was personally good for me to go back and reflect on my/our own loss.

[Sarah]

Amazing, powerful, heartbreaking.