Susan Biggar fell in love with a New Zealander. Maybe as an American, she saw Darryl as a ticket to an exhilarating, global life. When her first son arrived, he came with fierce blue eyes, a curly toe and cystic fibrosis. The doctors said he would be lucky to reach the age of thirty. A job offer in Paris snatched the family from New Zealand, depositing them in the city of lights, romance—and a whole new medical world. When Susan’s second baby was also born with cystic fibrosis , the insignificant worries of her old life slipped away, shifting her from ‘normal mum’ to ‘gotta-figure-out-how-to-keep-the-kids-alive-mum’. This—and all that followed—was not what she expected. Set across the globe—in California, New Zealand, France and Australia—The Upside of Down is a story of belief, of learning that sometimes joy is a decision. ‘A rare combination of laugh-out-loud humour and an intensely honest exploration of difficult issues … It’s like Eat, Pray, Love but with children, a husband and health issues along for the ride! Anyone who has ever experienced illness in their family or considered an expatriate life will want to read this book.’ — ANDREA J. MILLER, Shares in Life Foundation, NZ