ABOUT THE BOOK
An encouraging and empowering read, Eat, Sleep, Save the World reminds every parent of a child with special needs that they are, in fact, superheroes.
Parenting is hard—for everyone. And it takes a lot of inner pep talk and prayer to be the kind of parent your child needs. Eat, Sleep, Save the World is the rallying voice for the parenting special needs community. It highlights the exceptional qualities God has gifted you with, so that you can take care of your exceptional children. It is a celebration, a hallelujah, a high five for what you are doing right. And it offers peace in God for what you feel you lack.
With a mixture of humor, honesty, and hope, Jamie Sumner brings comfort to other parents like herself who need to hear that God has made them more than capable to raise their special kids.
BUY YOUR COPY NOW
Eat, Sleep, Save the World is now available wherever you buy books.
VIDEOS
Hear Jamie’s heart behind the message of the book and get a glimpse into her daily life as a special needs parent. All videos are available on YouTube and Vimeo.
ABOUT JAMIE
Jamie Sumner has written for the New York Times and the Washington Post among many other publications (you can read some of those essays here). She is the author of the nonfiction book on motherhood, Unbound, and the middle-grade novel, Roll with It.
She is also mom to a son with cerebral palsy and she writes and speaks about disability in literature. She loves stories that celebrate the grit and beauty in all kids. She and her family live in Nashville, Tennessee.
Q&A WITH JAMIE
Why did you write this book?
There are a lot of parenting books in the world—both faith-based and not. However, there are very few Christian books for parents of children with special needs.
My primary goal in writing Eat, Sleep, Save the World was to offer encouragement to families who feel exhausted, overwhelmed and discouraged. These parents don’t need another how-to book. They need to feel supported. I used my own experience as a mother to my son, Charlie, who has cerebral palsy, as well as Scripture that has spoken to my heart, to hopefully reach the hearts of other parents like me.
Tell us about your son, Charlie. What is your daily life like with him?
Charlie is 7 and attends first grade at our neighborhood school.
Charlie was born 10 weeks premature with a rare syndrome called Beckwith-Weidemann Syndrome, and he was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. He is a joyful kid. Despite being mostly nonverbal, he knows exactly what he wants, always, and will let you know!
He loves music and doing math on his communication device and watching his 5-year-old twin brother and sister play soccer. I think our lives look wonderfully ordinary: school, homework, sports (Charlie does therapeutic horseback riding), dinner and then discussions about sharing and breaking up fights during the chaotic bedtime hours. I love it all.
How do you hope readers are changed from this book?
When I was in the thick of it with Charlie in his most medically fragile years, I didn’t need another list of things to do. I needed a hug and the support of those who understood and had walked the road I was now walking. That’s what I hope this book will do.
I hope readers walk away with a sense of peace and purpose and camaraderie founded in biblical truth. God does not want us to live and parent alone, and there is joy in each and every one of our parenting journeys.
JAMIE’S YOUVERSION STUDY
Invite a friend and join Jamie for a seven-day Bible study, “Celebrating the Gifts of the Special Needs Parent,” on the YouVersion app or website.
Study description:
Parenting is hard—for everyone. But parenting a child with special needs requires something extra, something deep in the core of a human heart that might not have been unearthed otherwise. God has gifted you with exceptional qualities to take care of your exceptional children, and this seven-day Bible reading plan celebrates those qualities. If you’re weary and need encouragement, hope, healing, and empowerment, this study is for you.
DOWNLOADABLE IMAGES
MEDIA INQUIRES
For interview requests, high-resolution images, excerpt permissions or other media-related items, please contact Jenaye White.
