Circle of Hope

Circle of Hope is the remarkable true story of one family that gathered around a dying child to save her from a medical death sentence. Originally published in 1981, the medical landscape has changed in the intervening years, but this story of hope and perseverance in the face of a medical death sentence endures.

Jobi Halper was eight years old when she came home from school one autumn day with an aching knee. Three weeks later, a rare, lethal form of bone cancer was diagnosed, and Jobi’s leg was amputated. The Halpers were told that the chances were 99 to 1 that the cancer would kill the child they called “Sunshine.” They were advised to do nothing and above all to save themselves the agony of running fruitlessly for other advice.

But the Halpers did everything the doctors told them not to do. The story Jobi’s mother tells of the year they spent fighting for their daughter’s life is filled with rage and joy. They researched new drugs and treatments, consulted countless doctors, and finally sent Jobi with her mother to an experimental cancer clinic in California where a unique combination of chemotherapy and caring defeated her disease.

The Halpers’ agonizing ordeal and ultimate victory over death offers glowing proof that medical miracles do happen to those who seek them.