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Invisible Girls: A memoir book review

Sarah‚ a 27 year old physician assistant who suddenly gets diagnosed with breast cancer is riding on the bus one day when she sees these Somali girls on the bus who are playing peekaboo with her. She gets their address and decides to take a chance and go visit them at their home. They are a family of five who are immigrants from Africa and living below the poverty line in America. Sarah ends up helping them and loving them. In return‚ they help her heal from her reoccurring breast cancer and failed relationship. She explains that we all are invisible at times. Everyone is fighting an internal battle that we May not know about.

After Sarah meets the mother Hadhi and her five girls on the bus she visits them on a regular basis. She soon realizes that they have no furniture‚ hardly any food‚ don’t know how to use the stove and don’t know how to poop in the toilet. All the while she is dealing with her cancer. By helping this family it takes her mind off her illness and struggles and keeps the focus on the families trials. she shows them how to eat food because they didn’t even know how to use a fork. The family had to learn basic life skills that were not shown to them in Africa. They begin to form a bond and Sarah began to love them as her own family.

As the pains with her own battle with breast cancer continue‚ losing her breasts and feeling abandoned by God‚ alone in the world‚ she starts to heal her soul by helping this Somali family. She realizes they feel alone in America and It is hard for them to adapt to a new country. Having to deal with chemo‚ having a mastectomy‚ getting sick from the chemo‚ and having to acclimate to a new part of her life that she never had to deal with before she recognized their fears. In understanding the Somali family and their struggles it helped Sarah to begin to rehabilitate her soul.

When the author named this book Invisible Girls I later figured out that she was talking about herself as well as talking  about the Somali family. I related to this in at times in my life when I have felt invisible. Anyone at any time in their life can go to the place of no hope and no one wants to help.There are so many people struggling with internal battles that I know nothing about. So many people get thrown by the wayside without any help. Sarah made the Somali family visible. She showed them that they mattered and are loved and she became view-able to. By writing this book Sarah has helped other women who combat with cancer‚ hard life events‚ and anyone acclimating to something new to reach out and help someone else and get your mind off your mess. By writing this book she is telling other people they have a voice and its relieving to share their burdens.

Sarah had to learn how to deal with cancer and all the horrible things that come with it. The Somali family had to learn how to adapt to a new country. We all have had to prepare for change and have been pushed passed our comfort zone. Sarah helped this family and she realized she helped herself become whole. I have felt invisible in my life and like nobody understood my pain. This is how Sarah and the Somali family felt. By sharing her burdens and struggles in this book along with the Somali family‚ they are no longer invisible anymore. They have also given strength to others to share their story.

All proceeds of this book go to the five Somali girls to help pay for their college fund.

Here is the link if you want to donate or just stop by and read her blog.  http://sarahthebarge.com/invisible-girls-trust-fund/