A Story of
Survival. A Guide
Through Recovery.
On December 20, 2016, Reverend Cheryl Rieder was already in the hospital. She had been admitted for a ruptured spinal disk while grieving the recent death of her mother. Then a subarachnoid brain hemorrhage struck. Survival, she would later write, came down to a miracle of minutes.
Reverend Cheryl Rieder's Story
Reverend Cheryl Rieder has served the Congregational Christian Church of Somerset, Massachusetts (UCC) as a dedicated pastor for years. Her call to ministry took shape through discernment at Andover Newton Theological School, and her work has always carried a deep sense of personal commitment to those she serves. She writes bulletins, leads worship, provides pastoral care, and shows up for her congregation in the ways that matter.
In late 2016, everything shifted. Cheryl was already hospitalized for a ruptured spinal disk when she suffered a subarachnoid brain hemorrhage on December 20 of that year, just weeks after the death of her mother. Survival came down to seconds. A physical therapist placed a call button in her hand moments before the rupture, an act Cheryl attributes to God’s grace and to the kind of attentive care that changes everything.
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Reverend Cheryl Rieder writes about trauma, recovery, faith, and the complex experience of living inside a body that has been through something significant.
Discover “Better”
Better is the story of everything that followed. It covers the emergency procedure to place titanium coils in her brain to stop the bleeding. It covers the procedural stroke that came during a routine follow-up visit. It covers the months of what Cheryl describes as “brief dementia,” the loss of the concept of time, the needle scratch sensation when memory failed, and the spiritual crisis of asking God why she was still alive when part of her was not sure she wanted to be.
What sets this book apart is its dual perspective. Cheryl writes as both a patient and a clergyperson. She does not offer easy comfort. She offers honesty about the long tail of trauma, the frustration of a recovery that does not move in a straight line, and the reality that “better” does not always mean returning to the person you were before.
The Anatomy of a
Miracle
Chaguo la 1: Mtazamo Wa
Kihisia
Chaguo la 2: Mtazamo Wa Matibabu Na Kiroho
Chaguo la 1: Mtazamo Wa
Kihisia
Chaguo la 3: Mtazamo Wa Mwongozo
What This Book Means to Readers
Reverend Rieder writes about her congregation with real tenderness. The way she describes the deacons who stepped in to keep the church whole while she recovered reveals a picture of faith community at its best. It is one of the quieter threads in the book, but it stayed with me.
Susan Gallagher
Church Leadership Consultant
I appreciated that this book includes a resources section. It is one thing to share a story of survival. It is another to hand the reader something practical on the way out. That section alone makes Better worth recommending to anyone facing a long recovery.
Helen Brooks
Recovery Support Coordinator
The relationship between Reverend Rieder and her Golden Retriever Chloe is one of the book’s most unexpectedly powerful elements. Chloe’s presence during recovery is described with warmth and specificity, and it brings into focus something most trauma narratives skip over: the quiet, consistent comfort of an animal who simply stays.
Laura Bennett
Animal-Assisted Care Advocate
Start the Journey with Better
Some stories are hard to read because they’re honest. Better is one of them. It doesn’t smooth over trauma or rush recovery into something neat. It sits with what actually happens when life breaks and slowly reshapes itself into something unfamiliar. If this story speaks to you, the book is available now.
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Reverend Cheryl Rieder shares occasional reflections on faith, recovery, trauma, and the quiet work of healing.