The Long Run

On the night of June 13, 1999, everything changed for 18-year-old Jonathan Whitlock and his family. That’s when wrapping his car around a telephone pole nearly took his life and “the long run” of recovery began. That was also the night that his mother began writing of the ordeal in her journal. Soon thereafter, she began writing email updates to family and friends. It is with this unique and heart-rending perspective that Jonathan’s journey through a five-month coma and subsequent disability due to his brain injury is shared with the reader.

Sprinkled throughout the book are original paintings by Jonathan that reflect the different stages of recovery. Annette’s love of music and the role it plays in her son’s progress is also evident in the lyrics found throughout the book. So is the family’s faith that shines through the darkness of despair and the tears of tragedy.

This is an intimate, unapologetically spiritual account with a clear message: Take whatever faith you have and allow it to help you navigate the trials of life with a greater hope, peace, and understanding, for “When we can get past the why and the when questions, peace of mind fills the spaces left behind in the heart and soul.”