Introducing the second anthology from the brave moms of We Are Brave Together:

Suddenly Brave Together

Motherhood begins.

An infinity of hopes.

Boundless possibilities.

Then everything changes.

The diagnosis.

A trauma.

In one single moment, a future evaporates.

Suddenly Brave Together shares the voices of women who lived that pivotal moment, written from a place decades later. Their stories come from their own hearts, with support and hope not immediately evident all those years ago—with an unapologetic humanity to present the brave found within herself. A brave completely different than ever first imagined.

Mothers who learned that their own personal brave did not look as they thought it would. Unlike confidence, or even courage. A brave that may have appeared more like curling up in the fetal position and crying in a closet, then wiping a tear-covered face and making breakfast as if nothing ever happened. A brave that may have looked like making the difficult phone call to the insurance company. Or searching online for terms she never thought she would need or understand. Brave that might look like saying “I’m not okay” to a stranger who becomes a lifeline. Or advocating in a doctor’s office as her voice anxiously shakes.

Even having walked through fire, she still maintains the beautifully unbroken connection and joy that is forever between mother and child. One that no diagnosis could ever change.

Here she reaches out to another who is just starting the same journey. She does not pretend to have all the answers but, instead, embodies triumphant resilience. Most importantly, she reassures the new mother that, on this journey, she is not alone.

Brave Voices Live - A Gathering of Caregivers and Authors 8/8/26
$0.00

DATE: Saturday, August 8, 2026
TIME: 2:00 - 4:00 PM Pacific Time
LOCATION: San Diego, CA

Brave Voices Live is a celebratory gathering where four authors — Kelley Coleman, Susanna Peace Lovell, Kara Ryska, and Jessica Patay — come together to share their stories, their craft, and their hearts. This special event explores the power of expression, creativity, and storytelling as radical acts of self-care, and boldly declares what the caregiving community has always known: caregivers are worthy, their stories matter, and their voices deserve to be heard — out loud, together, and without apology.

Details will be emailed to you when you confirm your attendance by signing up here.

"Suddenly Brave Together" Book Launch Party! 5/2/26
$0.00

DATE: Saturday, May 2nd, 2026
TIME: 2:00 - 4:00 PM Pacific Time
LOCATION: El Segundo, CA

Come celebrate the launch of our second book, Suddenly Brave Together!
Books will be available for purchase!

Details will be emailed to you when you confirm your attendance by signing up here.

Quotes from the Letters

“You will rise to the challenges that come along this unique marathon path. You will become nimble at shifting perspective, which will help you recognize the silver linings and small miracles that come from the road bumps and unexpected twists and turns along the way.”

Michelle Kosoy

“This is not a broken life. It’s a different life. A sacred life. A messy, inconvenient, gloriously imperfect life that will ask more of you than you ever thought you could give—and will give back more love than you ever thought you could receive.”

Dr. Zoe Shaw

“Looking back, I think the most profound change of our journey happened when, in the darkest depths of despair, I was finally able to truly accept my little son as he is.”

Asha Wanigasekera

 “I answered a call no mother ever wants to receive. In doing so, I became something extraordinary: a heart-led warrior, a scholar of my child, a voice that would echo on behalf of those still searching. Love made me limitless.”

Carrie Borrello

“Mama, if you’re in the thick of it, I want you to hear this: The hard moments don’t define you. But they do shape you. And when you face them head-on, they can become the foundation for your strength.”

Heather M. Burroughs

“Grief taught me not just to fight for my child, but to fight for that gratitude and to keep recognizing it. It taught me to fight for myself. And for the beautiful life that I knew I deserved, and realized that I had.”

Kelly Roberts

“My fellow Brave Moms and I are offering you a lifeline. Take hold”

Jessica Patay

Endorsements

"As mothers raising kids with Down syndrome each of us has experienced the feeling of isolation and the immense relief, comfort and hope when another mother bravely shares her story and we no longer feel alone. Suddenly Brave Together offers everyone who reads it this same relief, comfort and hope. The words within this book are a gift to each of us, and we know they will be a gift to you as well."

Heather Avis, Mercedes Lara and Micha Boyett

Hosts of The Lucky Few Podcast, Inclusion Advocates, & Storytellers

"In Suddenly Brave Together, thirty mothers open their hearts and lives to share the raw, redemptive truth of loving and raising a child with a rare or disabling condition—that even in heartbreak, there is hope; even in loss, there is rebirth; and that love, in all its messy brilliance, always endures. I cried, I was inspired, and I grew in compassion. I highly recommend this incredible book."

Nicole Boice

Founder & Chief Mission Officer, Global Genes/RARE-X

"In this moving collection of stories, Suddenly Brave Together focuses on the journey of small triumphs, messy moments, and the powerful need for community. From parents of a newly diagnosed child, to teachers, neighbors, and caregivers, there is something in this book for everyone."

Kate Swenson, Adrian Wood, Carrie Cariello

Authors of New York Times Best Seller “Autism Out Loud”

"From the silence that follows a diagnosis, these mothers rise. Out of isolation, doubt, and ableism, they've turned confusion into clarity, pain into power, and fear into a fierce love. Their words remind us that the fight for our children's visibility begins with finding our own."

Lindsay Crain

Head of Content and Community at Undivided and mother to an extraordinary young woman with disabilities

Between the pages

Thank you to our sponsors!

Peter & Monique Thorrington

GG's Family Foundation

Torrance Memorial Medical Center Nursing Leadership

Torrance Memorial Medical Center Community Relations

Stephanie Nelson

Author, Podcast Host of Pivotal People