Tenacity by Tyler Kingsbury

Tenacity by Tyler Kingsbury is a story that completely floored me. With striking honesty, it captures what it means to be a young cancer patient, caught between fear, confusion, and an unspoken awareness of how serious everything truly is.

It’s easy to imagine an athlete who pushes through pain, assuming it’s just another injury. But a rushed hospital visit and a few scans and labs reveal something far more devastating, changing everything in an instant.

Before Tyler can fully process it, he finds himself lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by sterile walls and the beeping machines, searching the faces of the adults around him for answers—answers they don’t seem ready to give.

Then the doctors arrive and ask Tyler's parents to step into the hall. He is left watching through the glass as the weight of the conversation crashes down on him. In that moment, he sees his parents break down. It becomes painfully clear that his illness doesn’t belong to just one person. It ripples outward, touching everyone who loves him. That single, silent exchange speaks loud—and it lingers long after this book ends.

Tyler explains, in great detail, the treatments he's endured and the heartbreaking experiences he witnessed. Through his words, we see not only the physical toll of treatment, but also the emotional weight of growing up surrounded by illness,  and resilience far beyond his years.

I received a copy of this book from Allyson Pinnock with TriMark Press, Inc.