Life's That Way

In August 2003, actor Jim Beaver and his wife, Cecily, learned what they thought was the worst news possible-their daughter, Maddie, was autistic. A mere six weeks later, the roof fell in-Cecily was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer. Jim immediately began writing a nightly e-mail as a way to keep more than one hundred family members and friends up to date about Cecily's condition. Soon four thousand people a day were receiving them. Initially, a cathartic exercise for Jim, the prose soon turned into an unforgettable journey for his readers as he helped cope with Cecily's death.