After John Jumped - by Eileen Bellew (Paperback)

About the Book

Eileen Bellew's inspirational memoir of being an FDNY firefighter's widow and her struggle to raise her children in grief and anxiety.

Book Synopsis

When a firefighter is forced to jump from a burning building, his family's lives are changed forever.

When Eileen Bellew's FDNY husband, John, was forced to jump from a fourth-story window, on the infamous Black Sunday in the Bronx, Eileen became a widow at 35-years-old with four small children to raise on her own. PTSD, anxiety, and panic attacks ambushed her as she struggled through bottomless grief and the ensuing legal trials, all while trying not to let her fear do irreparable damage to her four little loves.

Eileen's insightful, shocking, and often humorous story spans twenty years of enlightenment as she navigates her emotional roller coaster life through heartache, healing, and the surprise of finding love again. Her frank account of how she gained resilience and strength brings hope through the lessons she learned and shows how we can find positivity even in the worst tragedy.

Review Quotes

"Eileen's deeply honest telling of her story demonstrates how someone can suffer an extraordinary loss and then become a beacon of strength and resilience. Firefighters are called upon to be brave heroes, but Eileen shows us another kind of bravery - the quiet, enduring heroism it takes to survive and heal herself and her four young kids." - Christy Warren, ret. Berkeley Fire Captain and author of Flash Point: A Firefighter's Journey Through PTSD