First published 2021
Amanda Kloots chronicles her family's ordeal when Broadway performer Nick Cordero enters Cedars-Sinai hospital in spring 2020. What begins as suspected pneumonia becomes a Covid-19 diagnosis that transforms their lives. Nick, a Tony nominee in perfect health, rapidly declines through heart attacks, amputation, and sepsis. Amanda maintains hope during 94 days of ventilators, dialysis, and bypass machines while caring for their baby son Elvis. She shares their story on social media, building a global community that dances daily to Nick's song "Live Your Life." After Nick's death, Amanda processes her grief and determines how to preserve his memory for Elvis. Written with her sister Anna, who supported her throughout the crisis, Amanda examines their marriage, the disease's swift destruction, and her path through devastating loss. The memoir shows how community and determination help survive impossible circumstances.
Genres: medical, contemporary, non-fiction, biography-memoir, family-drama
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, grief
Setting: Cedars-Sinai Hospital
Period: Spring 2020
336 pages · Hardcover · Harper
Content warnings: death, medical-trauma