But is it really possible to lose absolutely “everything”? Can we lose our spirit? Can we lose our drive? Can we lose whatever it is that makes us continue in the face of overwhelming adversity? Can we really lose that uniquely human ability to hope?

Or is it possible to step up to the enormous task of redefining “everything”?

These were the questions I wanted to put to Jersey Cameron. I wanted to strip her of absolutely everything and see what she did with the bare bones that were left. I had a feeling she could answer the call to adversity with strength and integrity. And in the end, I think she did. Her path wasn’t easy or straightforward, and she wasn’t without her hiccups and undignified moments. But the point was that she kept going, she kept fighting, she kept trying to remember what and where her “everything” was.

Every so often, I think about those people in Joplin who came to hear me speak. I can still picture some of their faces. They were grim but open. They were tired but interested. If ever there was a visible spark of hope, it was in that room. I imagine Jersey sitting among the crowd, her own face grim and weary, her own spark of hope glimmering behind her eyes, her own redefinition of “everything” writing itself on her heart.

This book is for all of those in Joplin who showed me firsthand what survivor spirit looks like, and for the countless others out there who have suffered devastation and tragedy and have managed to build on. It’s for all of you who unexpectedly have found yourselves forced to redefine what “everything” means to you. To those of you called to rebuild a life you didn’t plan on living. And did it anyway.

Thank you for reading Jersey’s story.

Jennifer