Renee Harmon

Life Hikes

Walking Through Loss, to What comes after

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.”

– John Burroughs

Life Hikes

A powerful and hopeful essay collection exploring grief, courage, and the healing power of nature.

In October 2018, Dr. Renée Brown Harmon lost her husband, Harvey, to younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease when he was only fifty-eight years old. After Harvey’s passing and nearly a decade of caring for him, Harmon found solace in hiking, nature, and travel—discovering that even when she felt frozen in her grief, her feet would keep her moving.

Like Harmon’s acclaimed first memoir, Surfing the Waves of Alzheimer’s, this collection is a triumphant tale of finding a new and authentic life through kindness, community, mindfulness, and the knowledge that the search for lost strength can sometimes reveal new and more powerful versions of ourselves.

PRAISE

for

Life Hikes

“[A] moving essay collection that blends memoir, nature writing, and reflections on grief into something both deeply personal and universally resonant. . . . Life Hikes is more than a memoir; it’s a gentle companion for anyone finding their way forward after loss.”

“Dr. Renée Brown Harmon wowed the dementia community with her debut teaching memoir, Surfing the Waves of Alzheimer’s. With her follow-up book, Life Hikes, she has fully stepped into her role as healer. For Harmon, love and grief are experiences of self-discovery that she gingerly opens and examines. With grief as an ever-present companion, Harmon shows there is always much to relish and learn from nature, whether it's from a neighborhood stroll or on the path to some of earth’s most majestic vistas. Her new journey offers guidance for the weary sojourner in all of us.”

“Brilliant. Heartwarming. Soul-affirming. Life Hikes is a luminous offering. Renée Harmon’s radiance and compassion flow onto the page with every step of her journey across the inner and outer landscapes of life. Like a trusted companion, Life Hikes walks the reader with intention, grace, and gratitude through loss, uncertainty, and the tender return to soul after the passing of her beloved.”

“From the Swiss Alps to northern Alabama’s Sipsey Wilderness, Dr. Renée Harmon invites us into her journeys, literal and not, with loss and grief. She claims no expertise or special insight when it comes to grief; she just keeps showing up, rain or shine, to do the work step by step.”

“Dr. Renée Harmon invites us to walk the honest terrain of her own metamorphosis. From encounters with the smallest parts of the natural world to climbing one of the world’s tallest mountains, she inspires us to follow the winding path of one of humanity’s most profound journeys: the return to the wilderness of our truest selves—a sacred unfolding vital to our own becoming.”

“Renée Harmon takes us on many hikes in this intimate account of her journey through grief after the death of her beloved husband, Harvey. In captivating and tender stories, she draws on the raw beauty of nature to illuminate the inner landscape of loss and healing. Along the way, she offers spiritual maps as gifts to all who seek to navigate their own valleys of sorrow and discover the peaks of renewal. This is a book for anyone who has known suffering—and longs for healing.”

Surfing the Waves of Alzheimer’s

Principles of Caregiving That Kept Me Upright

A compassionate memoir of younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease with thoughtful guidelines for caregivers.

Part personal story, part instructional guide for caregivers, Surfing the Waves of Alzheimer’s is an essential primer for anyone facing the tremendous challenge of caring for a loved one with memory loss. Each chapter ends with a different principle of caregiving and offers readers suggested best practices to bring greater balance to the role of family caregiver.

Drawing upon principles of compassionate caregiving—from her own experience caring for her husband and her nearly thirty years as a family practice doctor—Harmon offers a uniquely clear-eyed account of how this disease manifests itself and shares her feelings of loss and heartbreak with honesty, grit, and grace.

PRAISE

for

Surfing the Waves of Alzheimer’s

"The work Harmon does to combat commonly held ideas about Alzheimer's using her own experience with her husband is one the most effective elements of the memoir, as it strengthens its status as a guidebook as well as a personal story. The 'practice' segment at the end of each chapter is a wonderfully unique tool to engage readers, especially those whose lives have also been affected by Alzheimer's. This element adds an unusual touch to an otherwise traditionally told memoir."

In Surfing the Waves of Alzheimer's, author, Dr. Renée Brown Harmon, MD has given readers a rare gift: vision. A gifted, seasoned family physician, Dr. Harmon had spent years honing those skills which are so important in our profession—among them, observation, listening, synthesis, compassion, empathy—skills she would be called to employ as her own husband and partner in medical practice, Dr. Harvey Harmon, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at age 50…In this uniquely powerful book, Dr. Harmon shares her rare vision as a physician care partner, the story of her beloved Harvey, and how she learned to surf the fearsome, unpredictable waves of Alzheimer’s. Readers will be deeply moved through the gift of seeing through Dr. Harmon’s eyes.

This book is a teaching memoir - It gives the real story of the tragedy of Alzheimer's (in her husband's case, early-onset Alzheimer’s), as well as lots of good information on dealing with the disease and it's ravages from a caregiver's point of view. She is a physician, so her knowledge base is also quite helpful. After reading the book and meeting the (very gracious) author, I was thrilled to find out about the Audible version. Just finished listening to it, and found it a wonderful reminder of the book's helpful content and personal story.

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