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The Mother of All Decisions

A Memoir of Mother Loss, Legacy, and Adopting Kids in Midlife

By: Betsy Armstrong

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Paperback | 6 May 2025

At a Glance

Paperback
334 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.59 x 13.97 x 2.54

Paperback

RRP $29.69

$27.75

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In the blink of an eye life can become a reminder of the dreams and goals you let go of. When Betsy Armstrong’s mother unexpectedly dies, she makes the choice to be better than the mistakes of her family’s past and build anew in the life she wants and dreams of.

What is legacy, and how will I leave one?

Betsy Armstrong asks herself this question after her forty-six-year-old mother dies with a list of regrets and her stepfather completely disinherits her. Alone, Betsy sets about building a life of no regrets: becoming a marathon runner and Ironman triathlete, quitting a cushy corporate job to lead a life of service, and overcoming a crippling fear of commitment to marry. Still, she’s always running from the grief she can’t escape. As Betsy’s forty-seventh birthday approaches, she finally confronts her losses and begins reflecting on the one thing she’d never considered: children.

Inspired by a friend’s adoption, Betsy and her husband, Doug, choose that path but face daunting obstacles—a failed adoption, a Russian courtroom drama, and a medical crisis in a tiny Russian town seven time zones away from Moscow. As the outcome of the adoption waxes and wanes, Betsy is forced to make the biggest decision of her life: How far will she go to become a mother?

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