A Young Life of Light

written by Harry Hathaway Warner

What constitutes a life well lived? It’s a question often pondered in the wake of loss, and it’s one that catalyzed Harry Warner to write this book following the death of his grandson, Patrick Gorman, at age seventeen. Patrick’s life was brief and far from easy. Born with Marfan’s syndrome and severe respiratory complications, he was given a fifty-fifty chance of survival; at eleven months, he contracted a virus that would leave him deaf in both ears. His early years consisted of a string of hospital visits and struggling to communicate in a hearing world. Yet through it all, a remarkable young man was formed—a talented artist and sportsman with a love for the outdoors and an ability to inspire his peers in ways that would only be fully revealed upon his passing.

In A Young Life of Light, his grandfather memorializes Patrick Gorman’s life, person, and achievements, and proclaims a simple, valuable truth: that the good life is measured by the impression it leaves in the hearts of others.