It was April 1, 1998 and author Felisa Shelby’s life is about to change…

“Life suddenly came to a jolting halt. All I could do was sit by helplessly, looking at others talking, laughing, and going on with their lives while mine had been reduced to rubble. Was there any hope for me to survive this wreckage?”

In her autobiographical account, In The Storm Too Long, Shelby recounts the day she was diagnosed with HIV and goes back to where it all started.  Finding out that you are HIV-positive is perhaps one of the most upsetting news in one’s life, as worst as death itself. Devastated, Shelby initially responded with the worst of qualms and contemplated the desolate—ending her life once and for all. However, with the help of her tight-knit family, supportive relatives and friends, she came out of the darkest pits of gloom, and now devotes her life to providing support to those diagnosed with the same incurable disease.

Filled with stirring inspirational thoughts as the reader goes through each poignantly written chapter, In The Storm Too Long is a living testament that humans, by nature, are strong enough to weather whatever storm comes to their lives. At the end of the day, it’s all about keeping the faith.

The author further explains:

Every word spoken in this book was from my own life experience. I want the world to feel my torment and know what I’ve suffered. If someone out there after reading my story knows of anyone going through this or a similar illness that could affect a person for the rest of their life, grab them by the hand and let them know they’re not alone. There’s no reason to feel shame; they don’t have to be shameful for anything that has happened. What person in their right state of mind is going to request an illness that could affect them for life? Build a tight-knit support system for the individual to lean on. I promise, you tell a person you sympathize and understand what they’ve been through or going through, but you never know until it’s happened to you.”