The finest of the genre, intriguing and hard to put down, this book provides an extraordinary encouragement for persons suffering with chronic conditions. This is a must read, told through the culinary perspective of a young private chef with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.

 

—Fraser C. Henderson Sr, MD, co-author of Symptomatic: The Symptom-Based Handbook for Ehlers Danlos Syndromes and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders

In Speranza, Ashley Ondrick courageously transforms her pain into a profound testament of hope and faith. With rare vulnerability and exquisite honesty, she takes readers through the depths of physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering and reveals how surrender, grace, and radical self-love can lead to wholeness. Her story is both raw and redemptive, reminding us that true healing is not the absence of pain, but the alchemy that occurs when we are not afraid to meet suffering with curiosity and hope. Ashley’s journey mirrors the resilience I see so often in those who choose to find purpose through adversity. This is not just a memoir, it’s a roadmap for anyone yearning to find meaning, light, and God’s guiding hand in the darkest valleys of life.

 

— Dr. Jill Carnahan, MD, ABIHM, ABoIM, IFMCP, Functional Medicine Expert®, Author of Unexpected, and Executive Producer of Doctor/Patient

Ashley Ondrick’s Speranza is raw, hilarious, heartbreaking, and radiant with hope—the memoir I needed on my darkest days. From horse-farm kitchens to the brink of paralysis, she shows how pain, when finally faced, becomes the doorway to wholeness. If you’ve ever felt broken beyond repair, this book hands you permission to fall apart and come back more alive than ever.

 

—John R. Miles, Bestselling author of Passion Struck & host of the Passion Struck podcast

Speranza is a must-read for doctors, medical professionals, and those preparing to enter the field. It tells the story of unheard symptoms—often arising from medically understudied conditions—that rarely match textbook expectations or appear on standard diagnostic tests. What resonates deeply with me as a physician is its humbling reminder of the long, often painful journey patients undertake as they advocate for themselves in a system that can unintentionally dismiss or disprove their lived experience.

 

 — Petra M Klinge, MD Professor of Neurosurgery, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children's Hospital
Providence, Rhode Island

I’ve worked with thousands of patients who feel at war with their bodies. Ashley's story offers them something precious: proof that another way exists. That the body isn't the enemy. That healing is possible—not by conquering the body, but by finally, truly listening to it. Speranza is more than a memoir. It's an invitation to hear your own body's story.

 

— Dr. Aimie Apigian, MD Author of The Biology of Trauma