Sally Everett was about to turn fifty. A single parent and a successful attorney, she was, seemingly, a picture of health. She ate right, she didn't smoke, she was almost never sick, and she exercised regularly. A few weeks later she was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) caused by Alpha-1, a genetic abnormality more common than cystic fibrosis but often undiagnosed. Her doctor gave her, at most, ten years. After a week of self-pity and a year of self-indulgence, she decided to get on with the rest of her life. She joined the search for a cure for Alpha-1. She became a board member and sometime chair of the Alpha-1 Foundation.

Eighteen years later, she's not only still living but also happily married to a man she never would have met had it not been for her diagnoses. Their mutual motto is, "Life's still worth living because it beats the alternative hands down." According to a recent Canadian study, one in four people over thirty-five will likely develop COPD. While smoking is the leading environmental risk factor for COPD, Alpha-1 is its principal genetic cause. Whether or not you have Alpha-1 or COPD, however, chances are you will relate to Sally Everett's story. As her powerful memoir illustrates, stuff happens in life that we can't predict--it's what we do when it does that defines us.