Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery, and My Return to the NFL

by Tedy Bruschi

Book Overview

"Tedy gives you something to believe in. Whether we're winning or losing, he holds his head high, and he knows himself and handles himself so well, others can't help but follow him. The way he practices and plays forces you to become a better teammate; the way he demands hustle and toughness forces you to become a better leader; and the way he carries himself inspires you to become a better person. This made his return to playing on October 30 against Buffalo all the more electrifying. The stadium was louder that night than the nights we had raised our Super Bowl banners. Our captain, our leader, our inspiration was back on the field doing what he loved to do. Tedy had spent months rehabbing, had countless doctor visits, and had undergone hundreds of tests trying to play again. Just eight months after our victory in Super Bowl XXXIX, here we were celebrating a much bigger victory on our home field. Sure it was great to win the game, but that night we were celebrating Tedy's return as he showed us teammates, fans, family, and friends what it takes to become victorious in life. "You might be coming to this book as a fan of Tedy's football skills and, don't get me wrong, gaining the insights of one of the best defenders in Patriots history is worth the price of admission, but that's just part of the story. There are a lot of reasons to look up to him, and I promise you will finish this book with an admiration for him on a much deeper level." -Tom Brady (from the Foreword)

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 047010869X
• ISBN13: 9780470108697
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Excellent story! Entertaining and informative.

Great read! Highly recommend especially for any patriots fan or anybody who has family affected by a stroke. Michael Holley does another great job in telling Tedy Bruschi’s story about his time playing football and the incredible support staff of family that helped his recovery.

Awesome

What else can I say, this book is well written and it is a great story of a real American Hero!

Bruschi touching home

Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery & My Return to the NFL This book was the best I have read in a long time. It was close to home and made us all realize what a great person Tedy is. It increases people's motivation to recover and to know that it can indeed happen.

Work Hard, Do Right, Roll with the Punches, Be a Role Model, and Persevere

If you only read one book about a sports star this year, I recommend Never Give Up. This book is Tedy's way of answering the many letters of encouragement and questions he received about his experience of having and recovering completely from a stroke, the first NFL player to do so and return to regular play in the following years. I had the good fortune to attend the Buffalo Bills game at Gillette Stadium in 2005 when Tedy Bruschi returned to the team. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life . . . as the cheers boomed for miles when he was introduced and everyone held their breaths in silence whenever he made a hit or was in a pile-up. Everyone there was praying for Tedy and his family, hoping that it would be all right. And it was. Thank God! Rarely do sports present us with role models for being good people these days, but Tedy Bruschi is the exception. Whether you are a child, a recovering stroke patient, or a middle-aged child who loves football, Tedy Bruschi's life and thoughts will make you feel good and teach you something you need to know. Michael Holley is one of our best sports writers, and he takes Tedy's unvarnished integrity and polishes it to a bright message containing many valuable lessons. A portion of the proceeds from the book are being donated to the American Stroke Association. If you think you know all about Tedy Bruschi, you are wrong. Read this book and you'll realize that there's more to the man than being a hard-working middle linebacker for the Patriots who has recovered from a stroke and is a good family man. Never Give Up provides a philosophy of life that anyone can learn from . . . especially the parts about overcoming emotion and fear to do something that no one has ever done before. I especially appreciated the candor in the book about the difficulties that his wife, Heidi, and he had in deciding to try to return to football after the stroke. Most people would have covered that up, but Tedy shares it full-throttle knowing that most families will be concerned about the risks of stroke patients becoming physically active again. If you don't know what the symptoms of a stroke are, they are in the book. Read and remember those symptoms: They could save the life of someone you love. Naturally, the book explains in detail what happened during 2005 when Tedy had and recovered from his stroke. But you'll also learn about Tedy's youth, his family, how he came to play football, and ended up with the Patriots. The book continues on to describe the 2006 season as well. There's also good behind-the-scenes material about how Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick handled Tedy's initial plans to retire and adjusted to his desire to return to football. The book has some priceless color photographs of Tedy both as victor and while leaving the hospital, including the famous shot of giving a cold shower to Bill and Steve Belichick in the Super Bowl. The book opens with a beautiful foreword by To

True Heros Are Hard to Come By

Tedy Bruschi has always been someone I've admired since he became a Patriot. I look up to him for many reasons. He's a loving husband, a caring father, and one of the best football players of all time! What makes him such a wonderful person is his outlook on life. He takes misfortunes and turns them into something positive. This book will let you see just how strong Tedy is. He didn't give in to his stroke, instead he took it head on, which is why I will forever be his number one fan. I'm in a wheelchair and have been my entire life. I've never let anyone get the best of me and I never will. It's just not who I am. Tedy has the same outlook on life as I do, which he says it best with the title of his book, "Never Give Up!" He didn't give up. He struggled with his health, his career, and his family, but it made him stronger. He explains how he was able to put his life back together with the support of his wife. She never left his side, even when things were tough between them. Tedy doesn't try to hide the fact that he had days when all he wanted to do is cry and he did. However, that didn't last long. He realized he had to fight to get better, because he was the only one that could do it for him. Tedy is also a man of God and a man who's happy with what he has in life, which is an amazing family. He doesn't long for material things in life, because he gets his reward everyday when he's holding his wife and sons. This book will let you get to know Tedy, the family man, as well as Tedy, the football player. There are few people in this world who has a way of making you feel special with just a smile, and Tedy is one of those people. He sees everyone as an equal and he believes that anyone can overcome any obstacle, if you set your mind to it. He did, and so can you! Tammy

Lessons about Life

I flew through this book because it was so fascinating. Tedy Bruschi had it all,a great wife and family,great teamates,money,fans, adulation,and three Super Bowl rings he had earned the hard way,and he was cut down by a stroke 48 hours after going to the Pro Bowl with his teammate Tom Brady who wrote the forward.Without spoiling it for you, I can tell you that he made a great comeback to the NFL and he and his co-author Michael Holley give you great insight into the heart and mind of a true champion NFL linebacker.This guy has a great attitude about life and you better take notes!A fantastic book and I'm positive it will be a huge seller,especially if the Pats make it back to the Super Bowl this year,which they probably will do.