Book Review and Giveaway: Worth Waiting For: Love, Loss, and Moving Forward by Lisa Niemi Swayze

Wait a minute . . .

. . . there.

I made it to the next moment.

And that’s how you get through a bad moment of grief. 

You do it one moment at a time.

—from Worth Fighting For

Mom has always been a huge Patrick Swayze fan, so she asked to read/review this book!

Synopsis: Lisa Niemei and Patrick Swayze were married for thirty-four years. 

They first met as teenagers at his mother’s dance studio—he was older and just a bit cocky; she was the beautiful waif who refused to worship the ground he walked on. Through the years their marriage strained under the pressures that many do, but it was always a uniquely passionate and creative partnership.

When they first exchanged vows, Lisa promised to be with her husband “till death do us part.” But how many couples stop and think about what that truly means? Worth Fighting For is a remarkably candid look at what losing a partner really entails—how to care for him or her, how to make it through each day without falling into despair, and how to move forward in the second half of your life when the person you spent the first half with is gone.

For the first time, Lisa Niemi Swayze shares the details of Patrick’s twenty-one-month battle with Stage IV pancreatic cancer, and she describes his last days, when she simply tried to keep him comfortable. She writes with heartbreaking honesty about her grief in the aftermath of Patrick’s death, and she openly discusses the challenges that the years without him have posed.

While this is an emotionally honest and un-flinching depiction of illness and loss, it is also a hopeful and life-affirming exploration of the power of the human spirit. Lisa shows that no matter how dark the prospect of another day may seem, there are always reserves of strength to call upon. 

She writes, “I tell you, I am a different person now. One who has been thrown into the fire and forged.” Like The Year of Magical Thinkingand A Widow’s Story, this book is both a tribute to a marriage and a celebration of the healing power that each day holds, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Review: How sad is it for anyone's life to end! Somehow being racked with cancer is the hardest. Lisa has brought it all up front, on what is to be a caregiver: a caregiver that is in love with her husband, they are truly one. It is hard enough to have this in your life, but even harder when you area a celebrity, or married to one.


Patrick Swayze showed the world how to do it with love and dignity. They both did.


This is a fast read, but one you must remember,as a guide to all who have to walk this path of cancer. Lisa pours out her love and devotion, in this book. As the title states, Patrick was worth fighting for. Remembering Patrick, always put a smile on my face and a touch of sadness in my heart. Upon hearing "I Had the Time of My Life" on the radio, I always get a tear in my eye, remembering him. Now, having read this book, I will remember Lisa and Patrick's love for one another as well.


If you are a caregiver, or will be, to a loved one, you need to read this book! There is a brutal honesty from Lisa, that can help guide you on your journey. The book si well worth reading!


My note: The pictures included in the book showcase the love Lisa and Patrick shared, and offer a rare glimpse into their private lives!

About the Authot: Lisa Niemi Swayze is the co-author of The Time of My Life, which she wrote with her late husband, Patrick Swayze. She wrote, directed and produced the film “One Last Dance” in 2004. She has held many film, television, and Broadway roles and in addition, she wrote, directed and starred in the play “Without a Word” with her husband, garnering six Drama Critics Awards. Before turning to directing and acting, Niemi Swayze began her professional life as a dancer. Lisa resides on a ranch outside Los Angeles.




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Disclosure / Disclaimer:  I was offered this book, free of charge,from Atria Publishing, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told what to say.