Notes Left Behind

“Elena has left behind a story of resilience, hope and most of all, love. We can’t help but take her into our hearts, and carry the best of her into our own lives.”

—Jeffrey Zaslow, coauthor of The Last Lecture

Notes Left Behind by Brooke and Keith Desserich began as a journal they kept after their five-year-old daughter Elena was diagnosed with brain cancer and given just 165 days to live. As poignant and inspiring as Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture, it is the story of the courage of a truly remarkable little girl who accomplished so much in so little time—and of her parents’ love and dedication to their child and their family. New York Times bestselling author James Patterson was profoundly moved by Elena’s beautiful life and Notes Left Behind, calling it, “a stunning story that teaches us how precious children, family, and life are, and that the sacrifices we make are worth it. I won’t forget the Desserich family, and neither will you.”

Author Biography

Brooke and Keith Desserich live in Cincinnati with their daughter, Gracie. They have several businesses, but their main professions are as a mother and a father. With the help of family and many friends, they founded The Cure Starts Now, a revolutionary cancer foundation dedicated to a “home run” cure strategy for all cancers, starting first with one of the most deadly and difficult cancers: pediatric brain cancer.

Brooke and Keith Desserich live in Cincinnati with their daughter, Gracie. They have several businesses, but their main professions are as a mother and a father. With the help of family and many friends, they founded The Cure Starts Now, a revolutionary cancer foundation dedicated to a “home run” cure strategy for all cancers, starting first with one of the most deadly and difficult cancers: pediatric brain cancer.