"Shines a light on the stigma surrounding mental health and
schizophrenia. This deeply personal memoir will give readers greater
empathy and understanding in supporting those who are oftentimes
misunderstood." --Sheryl Sandberg
As a child, all Kait Leddy had ever wanted was a little sister. When
Kyleigh was born, she and Kait were inseparable; Kait would protect her,
include her, cuddle, and comfort her. To Kyleigh, her big sister was her
whole world.
But as Kait entered adolescence, her personality changed. She began
lashing out emotionally and physically and sometimes lost touch with
reality, behavior that worsened after a traumatic head injury. The
family struggled to keep this terrifying, often violent, side of Kait
private--at school and in her social life, she was still the gorgeous,
effervescent life of the party. Powerless to help, Kyleigh watched in
horror as her perfect sibling's world began to collapse and Kait was
diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Then, in January 2014, twenty-two-year-old Kait disappeared. Though her
body was never found, security footage showed her walking to the peak of
Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Bridge, where it is presumed that she
jumped. In this extraordinary memoir-- a story of hope, grief, mental
illness, and enduring love--a grieving Kyleigh reflects on her sister
and their life together, honoring their bond and searching for answers
and a way to find meaning in this devastating loss.
