A Grace Given: a Father's Love for a Dying Child

“There is a blessing sent from God in every burden of sorrow. There is hope in that, hope even in a dying child.” “A Grace Given is a decade long window into the metamorphosis of the soul. This is a modern day Pilgrim’s Progress told with humor, deep love, and unflinching honesty. A book that every Christian should read.” —Donald E. Wildmon, Founder of the American Family Association and American Family Radio. A Grace Given is the personal account of the impact that one life, however insignificant, can have on those around it. It explores how a child who never spoke, could not walk, and could not even smile, could still inspire and mobilize hundreds of people. Beyond that, A Grace Given explores the meaning of faith, the growth and deepening of spirituality that comes from suffering and sorrow, and the gift that a severely handicapped child represents. Most of all, it is the story of hope and a father’s love. Kent Gilges was born in Zambia in 1965. He lives in upstate New York with his wife and five children and has written extensively for numerous magazines and newspapers. His freelance articles have appeared in Europe, The Independent, Industry Week, Chemical Engineering, Earthwatch, and featured on public radio. He is a graduate of Cornell and Oxford Universities. Suffering and Death Brings Life in new book A Grace Given by Kent Gilges “Nothing really bad ever happened to me or my family . . . I had led a charmed life,” wrote Kent Gilges, author of A Grace Given: A Father's Love for His Dying Child, (Scepter Publishers). An adventurous life, time in Italy and Germany, and an idyllic honeymoon year in Oxford, culminated in the joyous birth of his daughter Elie. But soon, she was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. “How long?” they asked the doctors who informed them that she might have six days or six months to live. Kent turned to God. “We both asked that God not take her away soon, that he let her have a while longer.” She was given nine more years. Kent didn’t grow up religious. He watched as other families attended church and his family stayed home. In college he was an “active disbeliever in organized religions.” Elie’s prognosis jolted his views. He prayed, “If Christ has some relevance to me, and if religion is something that I should embrace, give me some kind of sign.” A Grace Given chronicles Kent’s journey of hope and discovery of faith. “Children are our symbol of hope in life. Hopelessness in a child is a painful anomaly.” But Kent and his wife, finding their beautiful life together eclipsed by the unbearable pain of slowly losing their daughter to this world, felt no anger. Instead, they decided to do everything in their power to give Elie a life filled with love and family in the time that they had with her. The book shares stirring revelations of the sort that bloom from the heart made wise through enduring one of life’s most painful tribulation. “We spend our lives dying, but the process of dying is what gives life its poignancy, its beauty, even its joy.” Joy, beauty and faith are the gifts Elie bestowed. Her condition led them on pilgrimages to Lourdes and even to meeting Pope John Paul II in search of healing and the acceptance of God’s will. Kent, who at the book’s close is the father of six wrote, “My children are the greatest gifts I have known, but Elie is particularly special.” It’s through Elie, his first born, that he learned the lessons to impart to his readers. “Suffering,” he wrote, “wakes us from the torpor that leads to desperation. Grief makes us aware enough to experience beauty and joy.” A Grace Given is a decade-long window into the metamorphosis of the soul. This is a modern day Pilgrim’s Progress told with humor, deep love, and unflinching honesty. A book every Christian should read. —Donald E. Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association and American Family Radio