Submitted by Jon Freeman
You may not know who Jeannie Gaffigan is, but you probably have at least heard of her husband – Jim Gaffigan. Yes, the comedian Jim Gaffigan who has done many stand up specials, been in movies, authored multiple humorous books, and had a successful acclaimed television show. Well, did you know that Jim’s wife Jeannie has produced and co-written a significant portion of his books, comedy specials, and TV shows over the last 14 years. She has been a significant factor to his success.
In 2017, after having many strange symptoms including balance problems and declining hearing in one ear, Jeannie was eventually diagnosed with a brain tumor that was life threatening. The tumor was the size of a pear, which is where we get the title of Jeanne’s memoir When Life Gives You Pears. Suddenly this wife, and mother of 5 young children, was concerned that she may die. Her life was suddenly turned upside down with this one diagnosis. Jeannie talks about the journey she ends up taking with her family, the power of her faith, and the benefit of being around funny people like her husband. She discusses some of the difficult conversations she was forced to have with her children, and how post-surgery she has ultimately learned to be more present in life. She is even able to have some humor in the book about what she went through, and starts the acknowledgements portion at the end of her memoir by dedicating the book to her brain tumor. Because if she had not gotten the tumor she would never had met so many great people like the doctors who saved her life, or the great nurses she got to know during her ordeal. She also thanks her amazing family too.
To read more about Jeannie and her story check out her recent book When Life Gives You Pears in the GCPL catalog here: https://gwinnett.bibliocommons.com/item/show/445915128#