“Don’t take him home. He won’t live long anyway… One day you’ll thank me for this decision,” my husband said about our newborn son before walking out of the hospital that very same day. And in that moment, I made a decision I might still regret for the rest of my life

Within less than a week, Jake’s words had spread across the country.

People began writing to him.

Mothers.

Teachers.

 Children who also felt different.

One girl wrote:

“Today I went to school for the first time without trying to hide my scar. Thank you.”

Another boy wrote:

“I always sat alone in the cafeteria. After reading what you wrote, I realized I’m not the only person who feels that way.”

Jake would read those messages and look at me in amazement.

“Mom, can you believe this? They understand me.”

Then a publishing company called.

They wanted to turn Jake’s notebooks into a book.

I thought Jake would refuse.

Instead, he said,

“I want to choose the title.”

“What do you want to call it?”

He thought for a moment.

“Beyond the Face.”

The book was published the following year.

So many people came to the launch that there wasn’t an empty seat in the auditorium.