"Award-Winning Finalist" in the
General Fiction category of the National Best Books 2007 Awards.

Despite the tragedies, this is the uplifting story of how one woman overcomes adversity and heartbreak through faith and family and emerges stronger than ever, and of how she gets past the obstacles on her journey through life and learns how important it is to experience the joy of the ride.

Check out the links below for a listen!

Last Christmas Ride - Edie Hand (Edie Hand and the late Buddy Killen)

A Sister's Love - Ronnie McDowell (Edie Hand, Ronnie McDowell, Joe Meador)

Moments That Take Your Breath Away - Dak Alley

Learning To Say Goodbye - Dottie Rager (Dottie Rager, Dan Farmer)

The Way I Feel - Landri Taylor (Ronnie McDowell)

The Last Thing You Do - Woody Bradshaw

Codes for downloading songs to A Sister’s Love , The Last Christmas Ride and Learning to say Good Bye will be available in the back of Edie’s new Novella!

What Are People Saying about The Last Christmas Ride?

“Edie Hand has taken us all on a journey!  It’s a very personal journey, looking into her life and those of her siblings.  Her story shows such courage and temerity through whatever life threw at her.  She handled it all with grace…which is exactly what God granted her to withstand the tragedies in her life.  This is one remarkable woman and I’m proud to call her my friend.”

Terre Thomas
Member of the Board of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

“Anyone who knows Edie Hand -- be it for an hour or for a lifetime --knows that she is a "giver" -- she gives her heart and her time to her family, friends and colleagues alike.  "The Last Christmas Ride"chronicles Edie's heartbreaking journey as she faces the tragic loss of her beloved brothers.  Edie's last
gift to one of her brothers is truly a moment of inspiration to us all, but her manner of giving is as the French poet Pierre Corneille wrote more than three hundred years ago..."worth more than the gift." "The Last Christmas Ride" is as much about giving as it is about receiving.”

Barbara Dury
Former Producer 60 Minutes

“This is the most powerful piece of material I’ve ever worked on since, “The King Is Gone,” in 1977.  Edie’s story about a sister’s love is a journey that takes us all to “The Last Christmas Ride” and teaches us how to let go and continue to live our life.  I hope you enjoy my song, “It’s Okay to Let Go.”

Ronnie McDowell
Artist and Songwriter

“The Last Christmas Ride” is an eloquent and poignant life story.  Edie’s journey has not been an easy one but she faced the challenges gracefully with faith, love, and hope.  One of the life lessons in the book is that in giving and sharing selflessly with others we receive – and Edie certainly is the embodiment of sharing and helping in any way possible.  Like Edie’s story the personal journey for a child diagnosed with cancer and their family is frequently long and hard.  Childhood cancer poses extraordinary practical and emotional challenges for the entire family, with the impact changing as a function of the disease course.  Our goal is to help these children and their families learn to cope with the challenges, maximize their strengths, become productive members of society, and ultimately to truly embrace and celebrate life!
  
Avi Madan-Swain, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Director, Pediatric Hematology & Oncology Psychosocial
“Hope & Cope” Program
Division of Pediatric Hematology & Oncology at Children’s Hospital
Birmingham, AL

The Last Christmas Ride Press Release