Happily married and teaching at Oxford, Sarah C. Williams had credentials, success, and knowledge. It would take someone with none of these things to teach her what matters in life. This extraordinary memoir begins with the welcome news of a new member of the Williams family. Sarah's husband, Paul, and their young daughters share her excitement. But the happiness is short-lived as a hospital scan reveals skeletal dysplasia. The doctor says birth will be fatal. To the surprise of medical staff and professional colleagues, Sarah and Paul decide to carry the baby to full term. They name their daughter Cerian, Welsh for "loved one." In this candid and heart-stretching account, Sarah brings the reader along with her on the intimate journey towards Cerian's birthday. In a society constantly striving for perfection - where worth is earned, identity is constructed, children are a choice, normal is desirable, and abnormality is repulsive - Cerian's short, beautiful life invites us to reconsider what it means to be human.--Publisher.