Hanover Park woman to speak on hope after 'A Life Derailed'

What happens when your life is shattered? Susan Ciaciura will present her inspirational and hope-filled "comeback life story" at 7:15-8:30 p.m. Monday, March 24, in the Schaumburg Public Library, 130 South Roselle Road.

Hearing her 7-year-old son's tearful voice on the phone almost caused flight attendant Ciaciura's heart to stop on that life-changing day 18 years ago. "Daddy's dying!" her son cried. His tears underscored the terrible reality of what she was hearing.

Ciaciura, of Hanover Park, was 1,200 miles from home and feeling absolutely helpless. She would be working a return flight home the next morning.

"I was trying to stay calm and assure my little boy that daddy would be fine, while simultaneously thinking the worst," she said. "Being so far from home and unable to help while not knowing what was happening was the most frightening experience of my life."

She called neighbors and relatives frantically trying to get someone to help her 36-year-old husband, who, she later learned, was in the midst of suffering a brain aneurysm. A debilitating stroke shortly followed. What happened to this young family after that life-shattering day is altogether fascinating and inspiring. Although their life's trajectory was now completely derailed, Susan's family managed over the following years to not only pull it back together again, but to enjoy a full and joyful life. Both touching and humorous, the Ciaciura family's journey has given hope to friends and co-workers that have observed their life.

Hosted by the Branch Christian Fellowship, a new church in Schaumburg that conducts 10:30 a.m. Sunday services at Robert Frost Junior High, 320 W. Wise Road, this presentation is the first of a series of free "comeback life stories" to be offered by the Branch.

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