By By Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Stewart R. Wakefield of Priceville made his dying baby girl a promise, as she lay lifeless in his arms at the age of 13 months.
With strength and determination, he got involved in cancer research advocacy for the Children’s Hospital of Alabama, became a spokesman for the American Cancer Society and sought to help others understand the true meaning of life, as an inspirational public speaker.
But perhaps his crowning achievement is “The Grace of an Angel,” a divinely inspired book he willed himself to write to show how he lived through the hell every parent hopes to avoid, eventually finding peace and a new purpose for life in the memory of his own baby angel.
Wakefield wrote the manuscript for the 148-page paperback in 14 days, submitted five copies to publishing houses and received publication offers from four of the five publishing companies he contacted.
The book was released by Tate Publishing and Enterprises Nov. 11 and is available at any bookstore nationwide, including Books-A-Million, or can be ordered through the publisher at www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore. The author will be available to sign his book Jan. 17, 2009 from 2 – 4 p.m. at The Book Store in Huntsville and Jan. 24, 2009 from 2 – 4 p.m. at Book-A-Million in Decatur. Copies are $11.99 each.
In the book’s preface, Paul Byrd, Children’s Hospital chaplain, had this to say about Janna Grace: “She was something special. There was a light in her eyes, and a joy in her smile that captivated all who walked into her room and changed them The very idea that the death of this precious girl could inspire love and spiritual growth in her father is in itself evidence that her life was a divine gift.”
Janna Grace was a normal, happy, healthy baby until she reached seven months. At that time she began experiencing difficulty with acid reflux and was placed under the care of a specialist. Her condition worsened in the coming weeks and she was sent to Children’s Hospital for further tests. A CAT scan showed she was suffering from a brain tumor in the cerebellum and brain stem. A seven and one-half hour surgery followed with 75 percent of the tumor being removed. She fully recovered and underwent two chemotherapy treatments before her body began shutting down. She died in the arms of her parents on Nov. 6, 2005.
Wakefield played baseball, football and wrestled for Hartselle High from 1989-1991. He was a member of two state championship baseball teams and played baseball on scholarship at Northwest Alabama Community College and Martin Methodist University. He is an an accountant for the U.S. Government at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.