Raising, and Losing, My Remarkable Teenage Mother

Book excerpt: When Stacey Aaronson was born in 1969, her mother, Bree, was sixteen and barely out of braces. Hastily wed to Stacey's dad and divorced soon after, Bree raised Stacey with his and her parents' loving support. Growing up together in an often role-reversal scenario and mistaken for sisters, Bree would come to say, "I didn't raise Stacey. Stacey raised me." Raising, and Losing, My Remarkable Teenage Mother tells the extraordinary story of this mother-daughter duo reminiscent of Gilmore Girls. Anchoring each other to the world through unwavering love and acceptance, Bree and Stacey take on life with an uncanny gift for seeing magic in the most ordinary moments. Whether bouncing between the markedly different homes of her mom, dad, and grandparents, discovering her religious and sexual identities, or starting college in her mid-twenties, Stacey is buoyed by Bree's devotion as a mother, a sister, a daughter, and a friend. She helps Bree navigate her own path as she seeks the biological mother she never knew and a partner to grow old with. But Bree-despite her vibrant spirit and astounding near-reversal of an MS diagnosis-learns too young she has cancer, whose underlying emotional roots even a cutting-edge, non-toxic treatment can't cure. As Stacey steps into the role of caregiver, the two face the most poignant leg of their journey: nurturing their deep soul connection even as one soul transitions to another realm. Brimming with miracles, wonder, and joy even in its saddest moments, Raising, and Losing, My Remarkable Teenage Mother is a tender yet ebullient celebration of life, of love, of death's mysterious passage, and the mystical forces that bind us all. Includes a gallery of over sixty photos, book discussion questions, and an interview with the author.