Deborah Ann Battista Rivera writes from experience most people wouldn’t survive unchanged. Her first book, ‘Miracle of 1968,’ grew from a writing project she began in 2017 to document the events that shaped her life. When her brother died, the work stopped. Grief took the words away, and finishing what she’d started felt impossible.

Her doctors saw something worth saving in those unfinished pages. So did her husband. They understood that Deborah’s history as someone who fought through impossible situations could give strength to others facing similar darkness. With their support, she returned to the manuscript and completed it.

The book exists for a specific purpose. Deborah wants readers to understand that giving up isn’t the only option, even when circumstances make it feel that way. Life offers one chance, and she believes that chance matters too much to waste. Her perspective is practical rather than idealistic: challenges will come, but the decision to keep going belongs to each person. She rejects the idea that anyone is inherently better than anyone else. Success comes to those who refuse to be stopped by others’ opinions or judgments.