Run Away with My Heart

Book excerpt: There's no doubt that every mother would like to think that she has been the perfect mother, providing tender love and care and going to dance recitals, brownie meetings, and endless cheering events. But how should a mother feel when she must face life with a daughter who is a defiant, drug abusing, chronic teenage runaway? Run Away with My Heart shares the emotional journey that author Suzette Carluccio took to get her daughter the help she needed in order to turn her life around. This memoir presents the perspective of a mother whose daughter, Brie, has been a chronic runaway for more than three years. Carluccio only learned how deadly Brie's drug and alcohol abuse really was when Brie was picked up by the police and taken to a psychiatric ward. From there, through nature's healing power, Carluccio learned to let go of the strong bond she has with her daughter. After spending forty-nine days in the wilderness and ten months in a therapeutic boarding school, Brie finally began to take hold of her life and stopped running away from her inner demons. Run Away with My Heart is a story of rebuilding and renewal, demonstrating what happened when trust found its way back into Brie's family.