Destiny Is Debatable

A Memoir of Meningitis, Losing Sight, and the Love I Didn't See Coming

By: John B. Grimes

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Paperback | 7 February 2026

At a Glance

Paperback
388 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 2.03

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"Survival isn't the end of the journey-it's just the beginning."

Nineteen-year-old John B. Grimes went to bed with what felt like the flu and woke up in a world he could no longer see. After eight days in a coma, he came back to a body altered by bacterial meningitis: profound vision loss, neurological damage, and a future that no longer matched the script he had in mind.

Destiny Is Debatable follows John from that hospital room through the long, unglamorous work of rebuilding a life in the dark. Along the way are white-knuckle returns to college, catheter mishaps, awkward first dates, and the slow realization that disability is both visible and invisible, reshaping everything from masculinity to friendship to faith. What begins as a near-death survival story widens into something richer: a family epic and a love story, as John meets Erin, marries, and steps into a fatherhood he was warned might never be possible.

Told with disarming honesty, dry humor, and a steady undercurrent of hope, this memoir does not offer miracle cures or tidy inspiration. Instead, it offers something harder and more useful: a candid look at illness and recovery, and what it means to keep showing up when the big miracle is over and the small, daily choices are all that remain.

If Between Two Kingdoms and There I Am asked what comes after survival, Destiny Is Debatable explores what it takes to keep choosing life when the story is no longer simple.

Industry Reviews

"Destiny Is Debatable is a fresh, smart, and soul-stirring journey that challenges readers to think deeper, live fuller, and step bravely into the unknown. John masterfully weaves wit, wisdom, and wonder into every page, offering a mirror for reflection and a compass for choice. His voice is bold and refreshingly real and perfect for this moment in time when so many are questioning their purpose and path. This book is more than a story. It's an invitation to awaken your own inner truth."
- -Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino
- Bestselling author of The Peace Guidebook and founder of The Best Ever You Network

"John writes of what he knows, which is a tangle of extremes. A slog back from the depths of illness, to a life he never imagined, and a full circle family that reminds us that love is the only thing that lasts. His is a hard-won wisdom and aren't we the lucky ones to learn from his grace, perseverance, and validation of the imperfect yet beautiful pursuit of survival."
- -Jennifer Vaughn
- Bestselling and award-winning author, and TV news anchor

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