Hope in the Heartache

When faced with the fatal reality that their newborn son's pneumonia had jampacked his lungs with infection, Kelly and Travis Speck prepared for the worst. The doctors said the end was near for Bennett Speck, less than three weeks old. Hope in the Heartache, a true-to-life and immaculately detailed memoir, is the story of their journey through pain, grief, and countless sleepless nights in hospitals to learn what matters most: a family's love for each other and for God.

When faced with the fatal reality that their newborn son's pneumonia had jampacked his lungs with infection, Kelly and Travis Speck prepared for the worst. The doctors said the end was near for Bennett Speck, less than three weeks old. Life support had run its course, but the Speck family never lost faith. Hope in the Heartache, a true-to-life and immaculately detailed memoir, is the story of their journey through pain, grief, and countless sleepless nights in hospitals to learn what matters most: a family's love for each other and for God. Hope in the Heartache: The Journey of Grace and Growth with a Special-needs Child is an uplifting memoir for anyone who has faced trauma, for anyone supporting a loved one in crisis, and for anyone who needs to know how it might feel to confront — and overcome — devastation.

Kelly Speck once thought she would spend her life as a working mom and wife, hustling in Corporate America while volunteering for the PTA. Life has thrown her curveball after curveball, however. numerous curveballs to that plan, so she considers herself a recovering type-A planner.  For more than twenty years now, she has performed accounting in an array of industries while maintaining a strong marriage to her college sweetheart, Travis. Kelly and Travis have three children who have, along with her deep faith, humbled her profoundly.  When her high school friends voted her "Most Likely to Drive a Minivan," she scoffed and declared that would never happen. Ironically, the Specks currently own not one but two minivans.  Kelly's favorite of the two has a ramp for her oldest son, Bennett, a quadriplegic, and she considers it the world's greatest honor to serve as chauffeur for him and his two younger siblings. As she faces work's daily challenges while remaining a proud wife, mom, and caregiver for Bennett, Kelly's mantra is: life is not always easy, but it is always beautiful. She lives in Kensington, MD.