Jesus Year: The First Year of the Rest of My Life After I Was Diagnosed With MS

by Ashley M. Ratcliff

MS IS NO MATCH FOR THE MASTERPIECE INSIDE YOU. How do you pick yourself up after being dealt a devastating blow? Ashley M. Ratcliff got a crash course in collecting the broken pieces of her once easygoing life and building something beautiful with them when her health suddenly declined. At the age of thirty-three, in the middle of her Jesus Year, Ashley was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis-an autoimmune disorder for which there is no cure. In the year that followed, depression and anxiety, on top of the grueling symptoms of her MS, sought to sideline Ashley, and she found herself clinging to God closer than ever before. Sometimes you have to get knocked down to get back up stronger. And Ashley is living proof of that truth. She has bounced back from the immobilizing flare-up that led to her diagnosis, and has since found perspective, purpose and restored faith. Jesus Year is the book that Ashley wishes she was given when she was first diagnosed. This self-help memoir takes readers on her journey of reclaiming her joy and finding a new normal, a process to which anyone living with a chronic illness can relate. In these pages, you'll learn how Above all else, you will leave this book knowing that your life isn't over because the unexpected occurs. In fact, it's about to begin.

246 pages, Hardcover

Published December 22, 2020

About the author

ASHLEY M. RATCLIFF is a writer, editor and blogger who lives to tell stories professionally and for pleasure. She got bitten by the journalism bug early, with her first-ever byline gracing her elementary school’s gazette, and pursued a career in reporting after graduating from UC Santa Barbara. Ashley has since transitioned to tech, and currently works in internal communications at Snap Inc., which has brought Snapchat and Spectacles to the world.

Ashley credits her old stomping grounds at the Palos Verdes Peninsula News, Home Media Magazine, 826LA, and Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences for molding her into the well-rounded writer that she is today. Along the way, Ashley co-authored a collection of short stories called Stories 4 Women, which earned an honorable mention in the Hollywood Book Festival. She blogs about fashion, food and frivolity at ashleyadores.com.

Detroit-born and San Diego-raised, Ashley has been known to go to great lengths to win trophies at nonprofit fundraisers, and has never met a thrift shop that she didn’t like. She currently resides in Long Beach, California, with her pride and joy, Ryley, a long-haired mini dachshund who loves mischief as much as she loves making her human smile.

Keep up with the latest on Ashley and Jesus Year at ASHLEYTHEAUTHOR.COM.

Reviews

[Carly Lamphere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read! Ashley's story is inspiring, hilarious, and informative. I can't imagine being so young and having to navigate diagnosis of an autoimmune disease with no cure, but Ashely tackles those feelings head on, not sugar coating any aspect of her first year of living with MS, showcasing her resilience and survivor spirit. I felt like I was walking her journey along side of her with each chapter and her advice for others living with MS is invaluable. The sections on how her personal faith and relationship with God carried her through are touching and refreshing. In a day and age where Christianity often comes with loaded political and cultural implications, Ashley's faith story and journey is a beacon of hope and positivity-this positive reception coming from myself who is a lapsed Catholic.

Ashley's humor and wit shines throughout the entire book, so friendly and authentic, using humor to recall the first moments where she experienced her first symptom on the dancefloor. "being mid Wobble at happy hour" then the "vibe is killed" by a a foot stuck in a vat of molasses. That opening paragraph let me know I was in for a unique read about an individual's struggle and triumph with a new diagnosis. Definitely a good read for the beginning of a new year after a year we all learned to be grateful for all that we had especially our health.

[Rosanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book may seem specific- and it is. Ashley was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at age 33, as the title suggests. However, what she takes the reader on is a thoughtful, lighthearted if serious, journey through the initial phase of her diagnosis and the subsequent rearranging of her life. It’s a book for anyone with a new diagnosis, really, her tips and insights on navigating a cataclysmic and traumatic diagnosis are likely applicable to any such case. But perhaps most importantly, though this book is for everyone, it is especially for Black women. Most books about health don’t address the uphill climb often faced by women of color to have their needs and instincts honored by medical professionals. Ashley offers practical and wise affirmation of this unique experience while managing inspiring laughter and faith. A wonderful read to end the year where faith was tested and health was center for many. I read the Audible version and it’s a fun narration by the author. 🤎