From Eden To Paradise

In a town called Paradise, California ... lived a young man named John Gilbert. I like to think of him as a friend of mine, though we've never met. When he was five years old, John was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

It is a genetic, progressive, and cruel disease. He was told it would eventually destroy every muscle and finally, in a space of ten more years or so, take his life. John passed away a short while ago at the age of twenty-five.

Toward the end of his life...he had only enough strength to move a computer mouse with his right hand. But he did that brilliantly. He sent me a manuscript of the story of his life that is one of the most moving pieces I have ever read.

John Ortberg Author Pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church This book is about hope and perspective, offered to those who know both disease and aloneness in all their forms, and to those who desperately love the many in our midst who are seemingly among the least of these. Our hope is that you will find value in John's story and his father's reflections.