Keep Your Head Up

Praise for Keep Your Head Up

“Dr. Tasha Faruqui's Keep Your Head Up: Chasing Joy in the Face of Grief is an insightful journey through the challenges and triumphs of raising a child with medical needs. As the CEO of Make-A-Wish America, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of a wish in bringing hope, strength and joy to children and their families. Dr. Faruqui's heartfelt narrative beautifully captures this perspective, showcasing the resilience that defines the Make-A-Wish experience. This book is an inspiring reminder that even in the face of adversity, joy and hope can be found.”

—Leslie Motter, President & CEO of Make-A-Wish America

“Anticipatory grief can feel messy and isolating. But in Keep Your Head Up, Tasha Faruqui manages to paint her devastatingly beautiful journey with relatable strokes—reminding us all that even while staring down grief, there is so much life to live.”

—Kelly Cervantes, USA TODAY bestselling author of Normal Broken

“In Keep Your Head Up, Dr. Faruqui speaks openly about some of the lesser-known aspects of parenting a child with medical complexity, including mental health issues, spirituality, sibling experiences, parental dreams and expectations, and learning to embrace an unexpected path. Readers of any background will find something in this book that resonates with them.”

—K. Jane Lee, MD, author of Catastrophic Rupture: A Memoir of Healing

“Tasha Faruqui's memoir Keep Your Head Up is a story of becoming. Who we chose to be, and who life requires us to become. In this beautiful pager turner, the reader is left breathless by what life and parenting can truly ask of us. This beautifully written book offers so many often-left unsaid truths about grief and loss written plainly on the page. On every page we are gifted a deep understanding of what it means to be wholly human in the most deeply spiritual way.”

—Meghan Riordan Jarvis, trauma and grief therapist, author of Can Anyone Tell Me: Essential Questions About Grief & Loss

“Parents, providers, and caregivers will find themselves deeply seen in these pages. With the heart of a mother and the insight of a physician, Dr. Faruqui shows us how to live and love even in life’s most uncertain terrain.”

—Kacie Gikonyo, RN, Death Doula, and founder of Death Doula School™

“Keep Your Head Up is a powerful, heartfelt journey through grief, faith, resilience, and redemption. With raw honesty and hard-won wisdom, Tasha offers more than just a story—she offers hope. This book doesn’t shy away from the weight of loss, the depths of despair, or the questions that often go unspoken in the wake of tragedy. But through it all, it radiates courage—the kind that inspires you to face your own pain and keep going. Whether you’re walking through the valley of loss yourself, loving someone who is, or simply longing to live with more intentionality and grace, this book will meet you where you are—and lift you higher. It’s not just a book you read. It’s a book you feel.”

—Whitney Lyn Allen Gadecki, certified grief coach, widow, and author of Running in Trauma Stilettos and What Must Be Carried

“As a fellow rare-disease mom, I saw so much of my own story reflected in these pages. With unflinching honesty and a rare blend of medical insight and maternal tenderness, Tasha Faruqui offers a poignant and powerful memoir that captures the heartbreak and hope of parenting a medically complex child—her story is a masterclass in surrender, resilience, and the fierce pursuit of joy in the face of profound uncertainty.”

—Jessica Fein, author, Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes