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    Heaven Is Here: An Incredible Story of Hope, Triumph, and Everyday Joy
    Unavailable
    Heaven Is Here: An Incredible Story of Hope, Triumph, and Everyday Joy
    Unavailable
    Heaven Is Here: An Incredible Story of Hope, Triumph, and Everyday Joy
    Audiobook9 hours

    Heaven Is Here: An Incredible Story of Hope, Triumph, and Everyday Joy

    Written by Stephanie Nielson

    Narrated by Stephanie Nielson

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Go on an unforgettable journey, with a woman who has unimaginable strength.

    Stephanie Nielson began sharing her life in 2005 on nieniedialogues.com, drawing readers in with her warmth and candor. She quickly attracted a loyal following that was captivated by the upbeat mother happily raising her young children, madly in love with her husband, Christian (Mr. Nielson to her readers), and filled with gratitude for her blessed life.

    However, everything changed in an instant on a sunny day in August 2008, when Stephanie and Christian were in a horrific plane crash. Christian was burned over 40 percent of his body, and Stephanie was on the brink of death, with burns over 80 percent of her body. She would remain in a coma for four months.

    In the aftermath of this harrowing tragedy, Stephanie maintained a stunning sense of humor, optimism, and resilience. She has since shared this strength of spirit with others through her blog, in magazine features, and on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Now, in this moving memoir, Stephanie tells the full, extraordinary story of her unlikely recovery and the incredible love behind it--from a riveting account of the crash to all that followed in its wake. With vivid detail, Stephanie recounts her emotional and physical journey, from her first painful days after awakening from the coma to the first time she saw her face in the mirror, the first kiss she shared with Christian after the accident, and the first time she talked to her children after their long separation. She also reflects back on life before the accident, to her happy childhood as one of nine siblings, her close-knit community and strong Mormon faith, and her fairy-tale love story, all of which became her foundation of strength as she rebuilt her life.

    What emerges from the wreckage of a tragic accident is a unique perspective on joy, beauty, and overcoming adversity that is as gripping as it is inspirational. Heaven Is Here is a poignant reminder of how faith and family, love and community can bolster us, sustain us, and quite literally, in some cases, save us.

    Praise for Heaven Is Here

    "In Heaven Is Here, Stephanie chronicles in harrowing detail the unspeakable tragedy that would forever alter her life. But the real story is this: Through all the tears, pain, upheaval, sadness, and struggles, it was Stephanie's faith--and the abundant love of her beautiful family--that brought her back to life. I recommend this book to anyone who needs a reminder of just how strong the human spirit is, and how instrumental faith can be in overcoming what life throws at us."
    --Ree Drummond, author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks

    "Moving and transformative, Heaven Is Here is one of those rare books that causes you to count your blessings, and it reminds you that even in face of devastating loss, you can rebuild to become stronger. Gripping from beginning to end."
    --Liz Murray, author Breaking Night

    "How do you find your way back to happiness after your everyday life has been shattered? Stephanie paints a vivid picture of the happy life she possessed before a devastating plane crash--and how she built that happiness again. Honest, insightful, and compulsively readable, this book gave me much food for thought."
    --Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project

    "For anyone who wonders how they will come through a difficult time, Heaven Is Here proves that human beings were built to survive. Stephanie weaves a humbling and spellbinding tale of how her perfect life was upended on one beautiful afternoon. Her story is a powerful testament of the healing powers of an unyielding faith, the gift of fam

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateApr 3, 2012
    ISBN9781401326173
    Unavailable
    Heaven Is Here: An Incredible Story of Hope, Triumph, and Everyday Joy

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    Reviews for Heaven Is Here

    4/5

    94 ratings31 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A powerful and inspirational story that is quite well written. Mrs. Nielson is a witness to the power and miracles of faith. While her life before her accident seems like a fairy tale, her life after is a testament to the power of God. The writing is straightforward, yet engaging and you won't want to put this book down.
    • 4/5
      Absolutely inspiring. A wonderful read to enjoy, and take away from the easy read fluff I normal dive into. I'm so grateful for a winning this book, and for Stephanie Nielson for sharing her journey with me.
    • 5/5
      When I received this book I was sure that with a title like, "Heaven Is Here" it would be something I would think would be too sappy to like, but I LOVED this true story and I am awe of Stephanie Nielson. This true story of a stay at home mom and blogger who survives a plane crash, along with her husband, Christian, is inspiration at its best!!! Burned over 80% of her body and in a coma for several months, the author strives to come to terms with new identity while trying to regain all that she holds dear: being a wife and mother. The heartbreak she encounters when her children meet her for the first time after her accident had me in tears. What a beautiful story of triumph and hope!! I will not forget the Nielsen family for a long time!!
    • 4/5
      I won an early review copy of this book and enjoyed reading it. I didn't know much about Stephanie Nielson or her family or her accident, but I found the whole story interesting and worth a read.
    • 5/5
      Stephanie Nielson began writing her blog in 2005 (nieniedialogues.blogspot.com).It became very popular as she wrote about her happy life with her husband, four children, and Christian community.Then tragedy struck in 2008. A plane crash changed life for the couple and their family. Christian was horribly burned on almost half of his body. Stephanie was in a coma for four months, burned over 80% of her body.In this extraordinary memoir, Stephanie tells the story of survival, and coming to terms with devastating disaster. She is honest in her pain and sharing of her raw feelings. However, Stephanie manages to find humour and use wit, as well.Together, Christian & Stephanie, draw on their love as a couple, sharing the strength of their marriage, and the support of their community and faith. These elements combine to sustain them, and not only do they survive, they thrive.Inspiring.
    • 3/5
      Memoirs are a genre I do not usually read but when I received this ARC book, I was inspired to add it to my library. The book was a little slow in the beginning as it set us up to understand Stephanie's life before her life-changing plane crash. The second half of the book is where I felt that I felt she was truly telling her story. The many and frequent references to faith are understandable given the intensity of her accident and her slow and painful recovery. Inspiration can come from many corners and the support she received from her family is inspiring. Her recovery within a year was almost miraculous, Faith is important but when you consider how much investment Christian and her family had in her recovery, it is only one part of her recovery. She was very fortunate to have such a strong family helping her to deal with all of the trauma as well as her fans. This is an inspiring story that I believe will be on many bookshelves.
    • 5/5
      I won this book as an Early Reviewer ARC copy and all I can say is WOW! Stephanie Nielson is an incredibly beautiful, strong, and inspiring woman. To say that her story is inspirational is an understatement. Stephanie's memoir is a must-read for women everywhere. Her faith and testimony are shared in a way that gives glory to God without sounding too preachy. Her honesty about her depression and setbacks gives an honest look at how to give your doubts and fears to God for reassurance and peace. The committment and love of Mr. Nielson is extraordinary, and can be directly attributed to his faith and love for God. I hope millions of women, men, and young adults read this book to recognize that love and kindness for one another is truly what matters in life. To quote Stephanie, "It's a beautiful heart, not a perfect body, that leads to a beautiful life." Thank you Stephanie for sharing yours with the world. You truly are an angel on earth.
    • 4/5
      I really was inspired by this book . It is the true story of Stephanie Nielson. I like how Stephanie set the book up to tell her story. She has it in parts. She tells the story of her life before the crash. Then she talks of surviving the plane crash. The same crash that has left her beauty scarred. She talks of the medical side of her healing and most important the spiritual side of her healing. I found her faith both inspiring and refreashing. She is living proof that God uses all things for our good. I give this 4 stars.
    • 5/5
      Aside from the religious aspects, which I don't believe in, this was an excellent written book. Not only was the tragedy dealt with honestly and openly, but the author showed that one can overcome these horrific events in one's life. I wish her the best for the future. Just read online recently that she and Christian have added a new daughter to their family! Congratulations!
    • 3/5
      An interesting story of a young mother horribly burned when the plane her husband is piloting crashes. One can't help but admire her determination and her refusal to be broken by this devastating turn of events. Memoirs are not my favorite, but Stephanie Nielson tells her story well, and anyone who likes true-story accounts will want to read this one.
    • 4/5
      Thank you, Hyperion Books and Library Thing, for the Advance Uncorrected Proof. "Heaven Is Here" is a quick, emotional, and inspiring read. Prior to reading this memoir, I had never read Stephanie Nielson's blog, and honestly, I was not aware of her story. It is heartwarming to read how her supportive family helped her regain hope and the underlying love story between her and her husband, Christian. Although some details are left out (what happened that day, the financial support, etc.), I felt her fears, struggles, strength, and triumphs through her writing. I was particularly moved by her feelings and experiences with trying to win over her children again after the accident. I commend her for her bravery and for sharing her story. I am going to enjoy life and not take things, like being able to run or even button my children's coats for them, for granted.
    • 5/5
      I first heard about Stephanie Nielson and her blog, nieniediolgues, mid-2009. Since then I've been an occasional reader of her blog, stopping by every couple of weeks to read a few posts. The first section of this book was a little slow for me. I rarely read non-fiction, can think of only one other biography I've read in the past ten years. I'm a fiction reader who reads for entertainment. And the beginning of this book wasn't all that interesting to me. Stephanie shared experiences growing up with her family and then meeting her husband, Christian. They were cute stories, but they were also rather dry. I just found the writing of it rather boring. But I kept at it. I don't know what it says about me that once she began with her plane accident, I coudln't put the book down. I was sucked in. Her struggles those first few months after waking up from a coma, her life after the accident, was so different from the life before. And I was amazed at her strength. It was hard and she struggled a lot with her inability to take care of herself and be the mother she was. But she didn't give up. She's remarkable. I finished this book with more gratitude for what I have, more hope in myself and my future, more love for my family, more faith in God, and a grater understanding of myself. Once finished, I went back to nieniedialogues and read months worth of posts pre-plane crash, and months worth of posts when she started writing again after her accident. I must say I am now an avid reader of her blog. I am just so amazed by Stephanie. I loved this book. It might not have been the most elequantly written, but it was definitely a beautiful story.
    • 4/5
      Life is perfect...until it isn't. The Nielson family has it all, life is everything Stephanie could have ever dreamt of, a loving husband, beautiful children and an amazing extended family. The courtship and first years of marriage for the Nielson's was a fairytale, until the day of a tragic accident that left both Stephanie and her husband horribly wounded. This memoir is a true story of faith, hope, courage and love, a wonderful read worthy of your time.
    • 5/5
      Prepare to shed a few tears. This is a great book about true love and devotion. Stephanie is a real heroine; she is a true survivor and a great inspiration. Being able to overcome burns over 80% of her body is a true testament in how strong she truly is. I loved how supportive and loving her family is, always there to help in any way needed, that is how family is supposed to be. The devotion of her husband shows there is hope for the rest of us to be able to have that in a relationship. I really liked this book and will pass it along to others without hesitation. I admire you Stephanie and good luck to your and your new baby next month!
    • 3/5
      Overall, I found this book to be very positive with many messages including: never give up, always move forward, and the Lord is there in whatever struggles comes to your life. Stephanie is an inspiring person and goes through a tradegy that is beyond my worst nightmare. The story is well told, however I was left with some unanswered questions - like what did happend exactly? and What exactly did cause the plane go down?? Like I state before, this was a positive and a good book, though I am not running out to tell my freinds to read it.
    • 3/5
      I did not think that I would be able to read this book, only because flying sometimes scares me. Stephanie and Christian's unshakable faith is what helped keep them together. What was remarkable is Stephanie's ability to see that yes, this can happen to anyone. The entire family has had to deal with what most of us can hardly imagine. I don't think that anything can stop this family, due to their strong convictions. It is good to see positive things come out of this tragedy.
    • 4/5
      This is a very moving and emotional memoir about how one family coped with tragedy. I was impressed with how well and quickly the author recovered, although she seemed to think everything was going slowly. I had not heard of her blog before receiving this book but plan on following it now so I can continue to see how the whole family is doing.
    • 5/5
      This book touched me deeply. The strength of Stephanie Nielson and her family is truly amazing. The book is through the eyes of Stephanie before, during and after a horrific plane crash. The life that she thought she would have, changed in an instant. She saw her life through different eyes and had to re-learn many things that we all take for granted, but by the grace of God she is alive and able to be with her family. Stephanie was blessed with a soul mate that through thick and thin has always been by her side, fighting for her and with her, at times while fitting to recover himself. You will laugh, cry and cry some more as you read this book, it is inspiring.
    • 5/5
      Wow! I highly recommend reading this remarkable story of hope, faith, love and perseverance. I never thought I could weep so much reading a book, but Stephanie and Christian's devout faith in God and each other, along with the love and support of their family, friends, community and others, helped them endure and move beyond such a horrific tragedy. It goes to show that no matter what life throws at you, belief in yourself and others can get you through anything and only make you stronger. Take stock in the people in your life and life's every day pleasures, because they can be gone in an instant. You hear it time and time again, but it's so true. Thanks to the author for sharing her story. I truly admire her courage and determination.
    • 5/5
      This was an amazing book that hooked me from the first page. It is a story of a great love between two people who must then endure a devastating tragedy for both of them. They have to fight through the battles of getting better, holding each other up, praying to God trying to understand what his purpose is in all of this. The love they have for each other is so profound. With love for each other and their faith in God, they overcome so many obstacles that I think most people would give up on. A great read and I don't think anyone would be disappointed in this story.
    • 3/5
      I followed author Stephanie Nielson's blog, nieniedialogues, after the plane crash she and her husband survived. I found her blog to be uplifting and very compelling and emotional, and was very excited to read her new book. Unfortunately, the book left me bored and wanting. But, I think that readers of romances may respond well to this book.
    • 5/5
      I received "Heaven is Here" by Stephanie Nielson through the Library Thing Early Reviewers program. Upon hearing that I had won a copy of the book to read and review, I was a bit concerned that I would find Nielson's Mormon background and the role of faith in her life preachy and over the top. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Nielson's religion and faith in God are a constant under current in the book, and a necessary part of understanding how she overcame the challenges she faced. Stephanie Nielson was a young mother of 4 children, happily married to the love of her life, when the bottom literally dropped out of her storybook existence. Following a fiery plane crash that nearly killed her and her husband, Nielson fought her way back to health and back into her children's lives. The memoir is a well written, gripping reminder of all we take for granted in life, as well as the importance of family and faith. I came away wanting to savor moments with my children, and wishing I had a fraction of the faith that Nielson demonstrates on a daily basis.
    • 5/5
      Stephanie Nielson writes of her life. She begins with her fairytale Brady Bunch-esque childhood and young marriage. Soon she and her husband, Christian, are the parents of four. Christian is getting his pilot license. One day, when Stephanie and Christian are flying, along with friend, Doug, the plane goes down.The fairytale becomes a nightmare as the author details the year of recovery. She had burns on 80% of her body, while her husband's burns were at 40%.Through the power of love, faith in God, help of neighbors, family and friends, they both make it through the ordeal. While the author still has surgeries ahead of her, she is expecting their 5th child in April, 2012.Very well written and inspiring book for this 29 year old. It certainly makes the little complaints of everyday life even smaller when compared to the road of recovery that this couple had to travel.
    • 5/5
      Stephanie Nielson describes her full, beautiful life that was disrupted when she and her husband were in a fiery plane crash. She then details the first year of her recovery following the crash. Despite the tragedy that she experienced, Nielson ends the narrative with hope and the recognition that she can still have a beautiful life.For me, the most compelling parts of Nielson's story were the interactions between Nielson and her husband and children. I also appreciated the descriptions of the burn treatments and therapies, the emotional difficulties that Nielson faced, and the insensitive reactions of others. (Although they were not easy to read.) The optimisitc conclusion makes this an uplifting read.
    • 5/5
      Stephanie had it all. A fairy tale life. Living what most of us only dream of. Then it all came seemingly to an end with one horrific accident. Hearing about her recovery was heart-wrenching. Her loving family helped pull her and her husband through it, as did her faith. A very touching and moving story. God does indeed work in mysterious ways, and what she had to overcome should give all of us hope. I wish her the best. Through all the adversity, God has indeed blessed her. Never take anything for granted.
    • 5/5
      Stephanie Nielson is a wife and mother and creator of the blog "nieniedialogues". She was born and raised in Provo Utah the 8th of 9 children in a Mormon family. This book is about her, her life, her family and the plane crash in August of 2008 that left her burned over 80% of her body.The book is divided into 3 parts - the first is about her life growing up and meeting her husband to be Christian Nielson while she was working as a receptionist at her father's office. She says she knew after their first date that this was the man she was going to marry. They did and she gave birth to two daughters while living in Provo. The moved to New Jersey for Christian's work and she had her first son. This is also when she created her blog to stay in touch with family and friends.Eventually they moved back west to Mesa Arizona, Christian's hometown and she gave birth to her second son. Shortly thereafter, Christian started taking flying lessons. He received his license and was working towards flying bigger planes so the whole family could fly to Provo for visits. On a Saturday morning in August, their instructor friend Doug and he were flying to Bluewater for the day and Christian asked her to go along. She wasn't crazy about the idea but decided to go along.Part 2 details the accident, and her time spent in the Maricopa Burn Center in Mesa Arizona and at the University of Utah hospital recovering from her burns. It is difficult to read without tearing up. Christian suffered burns as well and a broken back and other injuries. Their friend Doug, suffered burns on 50% of his body and he died as a result of the crash. 3 of her children went to live with her sister Courtney and her baby went to live with her younger sister Lucy. The whole family was so involved in her care and recovery and they had her moved to Utah to be closer to home. Her older sister Page and her husband purchased a house for them in Provo for when they were both recovered to live. It meant selling their home in Mesa and leaving that life behind. Part 2 end with Stephanie leaving the hospital on December 31, 2008 - 5 months after the accident.Part 3 deals with going home -- but not yet being home as she moved in with her sister Page until she was more able to take care of herself and to be sure Christian could take care of her because his injuries limited him as well. Their children are still living with her sisters but they come over every night so they can have dinner together. Since she woke from the coma, the children had been to visit once she got to Utah. One daughter would not go into the room to see her. Once she came home, they would be in the room together but Jane would never look at her. After she transitioned to living in her own home with Christian, they decided it was time for the children to move home too. Her sister's were upset by the abruptness of the decision but she realized they had to get their life back together as a family. There were alot of adjustments to be made because she was limited with her movement and still had (and has) many surgeries to go. She started her blog back up a month or so after she got home and continues to write daily.I've been reading Stephanie's blog and reading about Stephanie and her family since the accident. There is such love and hope and faith and honest emotions in this book that I just couldn't put it down until I was done. I'm glad her blog is there to follow her progress.
    • 4/5
      Where I got the book: ARC won on the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program. To be released on April 3, 2012 (according to the publisher; the author's blog says April 2).I had absolutely no knowledge of Stephanie Nielson's blog, nieniedialogues.com, when I requested this book. I'm not, on the whole, a follower of mommy/homemaker bloggers, although I have a couple of friends who are active in this niche. No, what made me interested, I think, was that it was about time to tackle a memoir because it's good for me to read outside my favorite genres.So I spent the first quarter of the book, frankly, feeling a little bored. It was pretty hard for me to relate to a woman whose ambition since childhood was to be a homemaker and mother of many, for one thing. And then it was all so perfect...a life with few real challenges, perfect husband and healthy kids (look, those of us with disabled kids never think any other mom has it hard, deal with it), large, loving extended family all active in the Mormon church, successful blogging career, yada yada yada. The only thing that kept me reading was the knowledge that the Finger of Doom was hanging over it all. Which makes me a bit of a ghoul, really.And then the perfect husband and wife were in a small plane crash that killed their friend and left both of them badly burned, and from that point on I was completely hooked (and having slight twinges of guilt about my cavalier way of approaching memoirs of tragedy, which is to treat them a bit like these are not real people really suffering). As you can see by my reading dates, I basically devoured the last three quarters of the book in a day, a rare feat.What words should I use to describe this book, co-written (ghosted?) by Amy Hackworth? Harrowing? Honest? The writing still got a little saccharine at times when it came to describing how the perfect family copes with disaster, but on the whole I found the narrative straightforward and, yes, compelling and frequently moving. The story focuses on Stephanie Nielson and how family and faith gave her the hope she needed to survive being 80% burned, including extensive facial disfigurement, but there is one telling glimpse of a teenage girl with similar injuries who took the path of depression and hopelessness and died of her burns. I kind of needed to see that, because these perfect-family tropes are always suspect to me; most families just aren't like this and I wonder how such a memoir can help someone in their suffering when they DON'T have such an impressive support system.Because, after all, unless you're going to read such memoirs merely for ghoulish entertainment, you have to get something from them. And I did, in the end, find Nielson's story uplifting, but this is one of those books I have to stew in my head for a while before I can really understand the value of it. And the writing, editing and layout were all very good, thank heaven. I had a long run of iffy books on one or the other of these scores, but now I seem to be back in the land of high standards, and I'm grateful for it.
    • 4/5
      This book is split into three parts. The first takes place before the Nielsons' accident, the second starts after the accident, and the third starts after Stephanie comes home from the hospital.The first part is important in terms of setting up the story, especially in terms of establishing the life that Stephanie had before her accident. However, that part of the story can also come off as a little annoying, since it's basically a recitation of how great her life was and how she more or less had everything that she had ever wanted (perfect husband, perfect cute house, lots of perfect children). I honestly found myself flipping forward in the book quite a few times while I was reading the first part.As soon as the second part starts, the book becomes very compelling. Stephanie's struggle to come to grips with her accident, her road to recovery and her new body is heartbreaking, especially since every challenge that she faces seems to fracture into a dozen different challenges. (E.g., for months, her goal is to recover enough that she can leave the hospital and be home with her children. However, when she finally goes home, one of her daughters is so upset by her changed appearance that she won't look her in the eye, and her toddler sobs at night for his mommy because he thinks that Stephanie's sister, who has been taking care of him for six months, is is real mother.)This is a compelling, well-written book and my standard rating for such a book would be 4/5 stars. (I reserve higher ratings for books I have read multiple times.) However, I found that I couldn't give it such a high rating, for reasons that I couldn't quite identify at first.Here's what I finally decided: If you think that Stephanie Nielson's life was perfect before her accident, you will find this book very compelling and inspiring. If, however, you idealize a different sort of life, you may find this book frustrating. Although Stephanie overcomes great physical, mental, and emotional challenges in this story, she has a blind spot when it comes to understanding people with different values or perspectives and meeting them on their own terms, and that's not something that changes throughout this particular journey. So, while I enjoyed this book, it may not be for everyone.
    • 4/5
      A remarkable true story that will evoke a host of emotions.A fairytale-like life takes a horrific turn. How refreshing and powerful to see how Stephanie Nielson triumphed. An inspirational and unforgettable read.
    • 5/5
      Heaven Is Here: An Incredible Story of Hope, Triumph and Everyday Joy by Stephanie Nielson is an unforgettable memoir written by an unforgettable woman.In an instant an airplane crash changed a life that she loved and was grateful for into a life full of unimaginable challenges. She had burns over 80 percent of her body and her husband, Christian, had burns over 40 percent of his body. Stephanie was in a coma for 4 months and it was not certain she would survive. Thankfully, she does survive and this is her story of courage and faith and love. She gives much credit to all who helped her and her family. However, it is her inner strength and her unconditional love of her family that motivates her to return to them and to become even stronger. She has written a moving memoir and it is a story of inspiration. She is a remarkable woman. I will never forget her story.I received this book free of charge from LibraryThing Early Reviewers and I give this review willingly for free.