Silent Determination: One woman's battle to survive and thrive with a rare brain disease

At the peak of her young life, she was dealt a terrible hand:

a devastating neurological disease.

But she played her cards to the fullest,

living a life brimming with joy and inspiration.

Andrea and Peter Cahill thought it was their darkest moment. Still relative newlyweds, with budding careers and two toddlers, they confronted Andrea's third brain surgery in eighteen months. At age 32, she had lost her hearing completely, but profound deafness was only the initial act in a long-running saga. Her rare neurological disease with a clunky name, neurofibromatosis (aka NF2), would prove to be a formidable foe. But it did not drain the life from this vivacious young woman. Persevering every day for the next thirty-five years, Andrea overcame relentless obstacles to continue her teaching career, start a business, raise her family, and touch the lives of thousands of families, friends, students, and even strangers. Silent Determination is part love story, medical mystery, how-to book for caretakers, and spiritual journey. A story of desperation and inspiration, soaring highs and gut-wrenching lows. Silent Determination will make you laugh, bring tears to your eyes, inspire you to make a difference, and remind you why faith, hope, and charity are considered the three most important virtues.

"Andrea Cahill inspired everyone she came into contact with at Massachusetts General Hospital, especially me. As her neurologist for over twenty years, I observed up close her strength, perseverance, faith, and gritty desire to make a difference while battling a daunting medical condition. Silent Determination is for anyone looking to understand how people can thrive in the face of chronic illness. Andrea's story is a testament to faith and hope. I highly recommend it!"

-Dr. Scott Plotkin, neurosurgical oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital; professor of neurology, Harvard Medical School

"As I read Silent Determination, I marveled at Andrea Cahill's ability to live her life so positively and with such poise, as she struggled over decades with such a debilitating illness. The lives she and her husband Peter led as they refused to let the illness overtake their joy in living is the stuff of fairy tales. Peter's ability to care for Andrea with such gentle ferocity is inspiring. Silent Determination lovingly chronicles their roller-coaster emotional ride, their education about an unusual disease, and the value that love and God played in their life, without forcing those things on the reader."

-Laurie Wolfley, English Faculty, University of Connecticut