Annie never outgrew the needs of an infant. She didn't walk or talk. Her parents fed her, changed her clothes, and carried her in their arms from bed to chair and back every day of her life.
Annie rewarded them with her smiles.
"She's the way God gave her to us," Annie's father said, "and we agreed to take on that responsibility," adding, "She's been a major pleasure to me . . ."
Christine Grote paints a vivid picture of her life growing up with a severely disabled sister, weaving her childhood memories through a riveting account of the last few weeks of Annie's life.
Grote's memoir of Annie's life and death is a story about strength, compassion, determination and unconditional love as their family adapted to Annie's limitations and surrounded her with genuine love. But more importantly, Annie's story is a testament to the basic intrinsic value of human life.