“With humor, grace and a raw honesty that refreshes, Joan, Katie and Meb prove that fear and faith walk hand in hand, side by side.”
Regina Brett,
author of God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours
It's About Faith
It's About Friendship
It's About Survival
Joan Luise Hill
I was lucky and I knew it! When doctors at major medical centers on both the east and west coasts confirm they have never seen this cardiac abnormality on a live person – and they are talking about your son – you are forced to pay attention. Put that together with two friends, one of them whose daughter was blinded by the babysitter and who has changed child care in California and the other who was rescued from Death by Bundy and there you have it: 3 Women, 3 Miracles.
Desperate to understand and to dispel the ‘why me,’ we set off investigating miracles in science, philosophy, and a myriad of religions – all the while trying to understand what had occurred in our own lives. Over the years, The Miracle Chase became far more than a book, reflecting not only real life and real miracles – it became a tool for our very survival. As we shared the intensity of a husband’s escape from death, a diagnosis of cancer and the dissolution of a marriage, we also shared our faith; ultimately it was our friendship and our hope for the future that sustained us.
Joan has spent more than twenty-five years in the health care industry. She has been on the board of numerous health care and educational institutions and commended by state and local governments for advancing the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of osteoporosis and for her work in inner-city Catholic education. She spends time in Palm Beach, FL, Pebble Beach, CA and Boston, MA.
Katie Mahon
On a winter night in 1989, a newspaper article about the execution of serial killer Ted Bundy changed my life. I could no longer run away from circumstances that I had tried hard to rationalize or from the religion of my childhood that I had tried hard to ignore. Many more years would pass before I discover that my two friends, Meb and Joan, had extraordinary stories to share as well. Together we found the courage to embark on what would become a ten-year spiritual odyssey. The Miracle Chase became a journey of Faith, a journey of Friendship and a journey of Survival.
After nearly 20 years in banking, Katie retired to stay at home full time with her daughters while continuing to be a leader in nonprofit initiatives that support women’s health and quality education for children. She is a three time past president of the San Francisco Chapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, an organization that she helped take from a grass roots movement to a million dollar organization reaching thousands of underserved women across the Bay Area. After years of being a Californian, Katie now lives in New York City.
Mary Beth (Meb) Phillips
Being an advocate is a journey, not a destination. I always believed in miracles, but I became an advocate for miracles when my baby daughter survived an unspeakable act of violence and not only lived, but thrived. I trust in the way God’s miracles continue to move outward in ever-widening circles, touching shores we cannot imagine. I see how God continues to give us miracle signposts – “signs and wonders” - that speak to us, His creation, pointing us toward Him. This book is absolutely part of my miracle journey. For me, writing is a way that I can express that softer spiritual side of me that my job and the challenges of raising children didn’t always bring out. The ongoing connection with Joan and Katie in writing this book is like being a part of an ongoing prayer that empowers each of us. I think if we can inspire and help others appreciate how miracles speak to each one of us, then we have helped to create another small miracle ripple from the joining of our miracles. And the thought of all the miracles and their unfolding through time, wave upon wave, gives me hope. Miracles are gifts freely given and I want to say “thank you” and give something back.
Meb is an advocate for children and families. She was the “mother” of the groundbreaking California Trustline Registry, legislation that impacted childcare in California and the nation. She has been recognized for her contributions to quality child care, disability rights and education. Meb speaks regularly at conferences, on local and national television, including the Oprah Winfrey Show, and has been featured in national magazine articles. She lives in Walnut Creek, California.
The Miracle Chase is a book narrating the 10-year journey of three women friends as they explore and discover faith, friendship and survival together.
Over the past five years, the authors have traveled the United States as inspirational speakers bringing their message of faith, friendship and survival to national conferences, women's organizations, libraries, churches and college alumni groups.
