AN UNCOMPLICATED LIFE

When Paul and Kerry Daugherty’s second child, their daughter Jillian, was born with Down syndrome in 1989, they were thrown into an unexpected and daunting realm of parenthood.

In this powerful memoir, Paul journeys in and out of despair, and into letting go. Jillian was determined to be born. And destined to teach others how to live more fully. Through searing and inspiring prose, we see how Jillian has enabled Paul to love and to heal his own past--and the traumatic death of his own mother. Paul tells stories from Jillian’s mischievous childhood and moves to her early adulthood, tracing her journey to find happiness and purpose in her adult life, sharing endearing anecdotes as well as stories about her inspiring triumphs. Having graduated from high school and college, Jillian now works to support herself, and has met the love of her life and her husband-to-be, Ryan. In An Uncomplicated Life, the parent learns as much about life from the child as the child does from the parent. Through her unmitigated love for others, her sparkling charisma, and her boundless capacity for joy, Jillian has inspired those around her to live better and more fully. The day Jillian was born, Paul says, was the last bad day. As he lovingly writes, “Jillian is a soul map of our best intentions”—a model of grace, boundless joy, and love for all of us. Paul Daugherty is a newspaper sports columnist who has covered nearly every major American sporting event, as well as five Olympic Summer Games. He writes for Sports Illustrated’s website and has written books with Chad Johnson and Johnny Bench. A collection of his sports columns was published in 2000. Daugherty lives in Loveland, OH, with wife, Kerry. They have two children, a son, Kelly, 27 and daughter Jillian, 24.