Lisa Niemi’s new book, Worth Fighting For, is available now from her publisher Simon and Schuster and other stores. Below you can read an excerpt from, and order “Worth Fighting For,” as well as get information on Lisa’s other book, The Time of My Life, which was co written with the love of her life, and late husband, Patrick Swayze.
Worth Fighting For
You can order Worth Fighting For from Amazon, Books a Million, Indie Bound, and Powell’s, as well as other retailers.
Wait a minute . . .
. . . there.
I made it to the next moment.
And that’s how you get through a bad moment of grief. You do it one at a time.
– from Worth Fighting For
LISA NIEMI and PATRICK SWAYZE were married for thirty-four years. They first met as teenagers at his mother’s dance studio – he was older and just a bit cocky; she was the beautiful waif who refused to worship the ground he walked on. Through the years their marriage strained under the pressures that many do, but it was always a uniquely passionate and creative partnership.
When they first exchanged vows, Lisa promised to be with her husband “till death do us part.” But how many couples stop and think about what that truly means? Worth Fighting For is a remarkably candid look at what losing a partner really entails – how to care for him or her, how to make it though each day without falling into despair, and how to move forward in the second half of your life when the person you spent the first half with is gone.
For the first time, Lisa Niemi Swayze shares the details of Patrick’s twenty-one-month battle with Stage IV pancreatic cancer, and she describes his last days, when she simply tried to keep him comfortable. She writes with heartbreaking honesty about her grief in the aftermath of Patrick’s death, and she openly discusses the challenges that the years without him have posed.
While this is an emotionally honest and un-flinching depiction of illness and loss, it is also a hopeful and life-affirming exploration of the power of the human spirit. Lisa shows that no matter how dark the prospect of another day may seem, there are always reserves of strength to call upon. She writes, “I tell you, I am a different person now. One who has been thrown into the fire and forged.” Like The Year of Magical Thinking and A Widow’s Story, this book is both a tribute to a marriage and a celebration of the healing power that each day holds, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
A worthy addition to the canon of literature that honestly assesses grief without sentimentalizing it.
– Kirkus
Lisa is one of the most honest people I’ve ever known. It’s one of the big reasons Patrick loved her. Read it and you’ll see what I mean.
– Whoopi Goldberg
I loved Patrick Swayze and conducted his last television interview before he died. We were joined by the woman he adored, his wife, Lisa. She was soft, tough when she had to be, funny, wise and inspiring. You will be the better for reading her book.
– Barbara Walters
It’s a heartfelt account, both brave and honorable,
– Publishers Weekly
The Time of My Life
You can order The Time of My Life from Amazon and many other retailers, as well as directly from the Simon and Schuster Website.
A New York Times Bestseller, and International Bestseller, The Time of My Life is an entertaining and inspiring behind-the-scenes look at a Hollywood life and a remarkable love, told in the words of beloved actor Patrick Swayze and his wife, Lisa Niemi, shortly before he passed away.
In a career spanning more than thirty years, Patrick Swayze made a name for himself on the stage and screen with his versatility, passion, and fearlessness. Always a fighter, Patrick refused to let the diagnosis of stage IV pancreatic cancer in February 2008 defeat him. Patrick and Lisa’s bravery inspired legions of fans, cancer patients, and their loved ones, yet this memoir, written with wisdom and heart, recounts so much more. Revealed in vivid detail is Patrick’s Texas upbringing, his personal struggle, his rise to fame, and how his soul mate Lisa stood by his side through it all.
The Time of My Life opens the door for families, individuals, and husbands and wives to grow, bond, and discover entirely new levels of love and sharing, proving that life shouldn’t be lived as a series of endings, but rather as the beginning of greater strength and love.
