The Mission Walker
I was given three months to live...
- History & Biography
- Publisher: W Publishing Group (Thomas Nelson)
- Published: 2024
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Publisher's Description
Audie Award Finalist for best inspirational book! IMAGE AWARD (Native Daughters of the Golden West) " The Mission Walker is a marvelous book, a moving meditation on the relationships between courage and faith, endurance and transcendence." Randall Sullivan, Creator, The Miracle Detective, Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) Have you ever wanted to just start walking, and never ever stop? To leave behind "WHO I AM" to find "WHO I AM." Walking alone, and with one lung (the other lost to cancer), Edie Littlefield Sundby became the first person in history to walk the 1,600-mile El Camino Real de las California's mission trail through the mountain wilderness of Mexico and one of the hottest deserts on earth, and across the border to Northern California - a walk that elevated her life with meaning and purpose that transcended pain and fear – and healed her broken body. THE MISSION WALKER is a first-hand account of harrowing adventure along the old Jesuit mission trail in Baja California Mexico -- desert heat and cold, walls of cactus, sleeplessness, hunger, both physical and spiritual exhaustion, the dangers of wild creatures, and encounters with drug smugglers and weeks with no water other than what a pack mule could carry; and the tortuous agony and transcendent beauty of walking the northern half of the mission trail through California, a trek Edie made six months after losing her right lung to cancer – a journey that restored health and spirit after fighting recurrent stage 4 cancer, including 79 rounds of chemotherapy, four radical surgeries (liver, lung, colon/stomach, and throat), and dozens of radiation treatments. Edie's story is both an adventure story and a reflection on the universal experience of confronting our own mortality. It is a story of what we will do when faced with the potential end of our life. What do we do with our time left on earth. And how much do we still really, truly want to live. The book cites more than 50 original historical sources and captures the untamed wilderness adventure experienced for centuries along the old Jesuit and Franciscan mission trail that unites California and Mexico and defines the Old West. For those who crave a spirit of adventure, who ache like Edie to know what our bodies and spirits are truly capable of, this book is a must-read. A true testament to faith, courage, and the power of hope. Editorial Reviews: "Edie Sundby's account of her amazing trek along the entirety of the 1,600-mile California Mission Trail is not only captivating and inspiring but also one heck of an outdoors adventure. " Les Standiford, Author and Historian "This powerful story of determination and faith will stay with you forever." Ken Budd J ournalist/Author "...a gripping narrative that takes us through the author's harrowing journeys, inward and outward." JoBeth McDaniel Journalist/Author " The Mission Walker is a marvelous book, a moving meditation on the relationships between courage and faith, endurance and transcendence." Randall Sullivan, Creator, The Miracle Detective, Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)
Endorsements (3)
“The Mission Walker is a marvelous book. Edie Littlefield Sundby writes of her battle against cancer with simple grace and enormous dignity. The journey she takes us on—her mission walk—is often arduous and at times harrowing, yet there’s a spirit of uplift in even the most difficult passages. Sundby turns her mantra of ‘To move is to be alive’ into a moving meditation on the relationships between courage and faith, endurance and transcendence. I wish the author a long life, but even if she lives to a ripe old age, I think she’s created a work that will be here after she is gone.”
“Edie Littlefield Sundby’s account of her amazing trek along the entirety of the California Mission Trail is not only captivating and inspiring but also one heck of an outdoors adventure. Anyone who doubts the capacity of the human spirit to triumph over incredible odds needs either to read this book or walk a few miles with Edie.”
“This powerful story of determination and faith will stay with you forever. I was so moved to be with Edie on each dusty step of her journey, sharing her cactus wounds and life-affirming moments. We can all learn from this moving and memorable tale of strength, resilience, and spirituality.”
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