Soar: A Posthumously Published Memoir About One Woman's Defiance in the Face of Sickle Cell Disease
Gail Campbell Woolley in Egypt , 1996. Abu Simbel Temple. Gail is holding an ankh or “key of life” symbol.
“I made up my mind early to live the best possible life, no matter how long it lasts.”
After being diagnosed with sickle cell anemia at age seven and told she’d be dead before reaching age 35, Gail Campbell Woolley awoke every morning with the sound of the famous 60 Minutes clock ticking in the back of her mind.
From SCUBA diving to safaris to traveling to every continent except Antarctica, Woolley with her husband Howard refused to let her illness dictate her aspirations or her plans, even when severe complications threatened to stymie her activities near the end of her life. Despite significant obstacles, she achieved academic success, an impressive journalist’s career, a long and loving marriage to her college sweetheart, and the ability to leave her unmistakable stamp on every person she met.
Woolley’s powerful story not only inspires readers to follow their dreams no matter the roadblocks they face, it also raises awareness about suffering with sickle cell, a painful, often overlooked disease that primarily affects people of color. In sharing her story, Woolley hoped to shed light on this genetic condition that affects an estimated 100,000 people in the United States alone.
SOAR: A Memoir is the posthumous publication and the last item on Woolley’s bucket list, which her husband Howard was committed to making happen. It will move readers to root for this irrepressible, quietly heroic woman and will support people with rare diseases and others to reassess their own approaches to life. “The last few years of Gail’s life were very hard on her and she endured incredible pain” comments Howard. “I learned to treat and see my incredible wife each day as if it were the first days of our marriage. I believe my attitude helped both of us all along our journey together.” Sickle cell disease affects millions of people worldwide. It is most common among people whose ancestors come from Africa; Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Turkey, and Italy; the Arabian Peninsula; India; and Spanish-speaking regions in South America, Central America, and parts of the Caribbean.
This book will support the fact that you are not alone, can be supported by hearing the testimonies of others, and by sharing your own journey with them, to help ease some of the emotional pain. “I was inspired every day by how Gail was determined to live her life so full and with abundance. I learned a great deal about how to live in the present. If Gail was reading a good book, it was not the time to ask her how she was feeling, but the time to live in the present and ask her about the joys of the book itself.”
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Gail Campbell Woolley (1957-2015) grew up in Washington DC, and was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia at age seven. She studied journalism and international relations at Syracuse University and worked as a reporter for the Washington Star, The Baltimore Sun, and the Washington Times before beginning a career in corporate public relations.
