In the inspiring memoir, From the Sidelines to the Finish Line: A Chronic Illness Survivor’s Challenges and Everyday Triumphs, Emily Falcon chronicles her lifelong journey with a congenital cardiac condition. In 1982, at seven weeks old, she had a heart attack that destroyed forty percent of the left side of her heart. This was her entry into a world of multiple cardiac procedures, surgeries, and hospitalizations, and a later diagnosis of glaucoma. Balancing these serious conditions defined her life.

Falcon’s memoir is a story of survival and how her physical situation shaped and limited her. She never surrendered, never wavered. She always forged onward. Falcon intends this story to be a helpful resource to families, caregivers, and physicians who want to gain insight into a patient’s point of view.

In 2017, after a lifetime of feeling that nothing could ever change, Falcon had a second open-heart surgery. This procedure allowed her to participate in a 5K race a mere eight months later. She was no longer stuck on the sidelines. She encourages her readers to advocate for themselves, believe in their abilities, never be afraid to test their boundaries, and feel motivated to make changes in their lives.