Amy Low resides in a room that is her last. Her medical team is clear-eyed with her: there is no cure for Stage IV metastatic colon cancer, and the odds of long-term survival are scant. Miraculously, she’s lived four years with her diagnosis, and that life between life has changed her.
Through the swirl of prolonged trauma and unbearable grief, a vantage point emerged—a window that showed her the way to relish life and be kinder to herself and others while living through the inevitable loss and heartbreak that crosses everyone’s paths. Instead of viewing joy and sorrow as opposites, she saw how both exist in harmony, full of mystery and surprise. Instead of seeing days as succeeding or failing, and physical selves as healthy or unwell, she’s learned to carry both achievements and afflictions in stride. And instead of bitterness and betrayal, forgiveness—toward her body, toward others, toward herself—became her wisest light.
More than just a memoir, The Brave In-Between is a sacred invitation to delve into the depths of the human condition. Low maps her own experiences to the words Saint Paul wrote in his own last room. We all have a heart to marvel at miracles, a lightness to spot the absurdity, and an imagination to pause and extend empathy for others—even when tragedy strikes. Sometimes we just need a guide, and Low offers readers invaluable wisdom for navigating uncertainty in the worst of times.
About the Speakers
Based in Palo Alto, Amy Low has been a storyteller all her life. She grew up in and continues to live life through parables and metaphors. She sees her life as an invitation to discovering the new every day and even records some of these discoveries in her Substack, Postcards from the Mountain. As the managing director for fellowships and nonprofit journalism at the Emerson Collective, she directs efforts to empower individuals and newsrooms to strengthen our shared conversation in the public square.
Lisa Otsuka has been an educator for over thirty years. She grew up in Southern California and studied Spanish literature and psychology at UCSD. She believes strongly that our education never ceases—our life is the curriculum. We are called to be a conduit, not a reservoir, of God's abundant love. She feels incredibly grateful to work with young adults every day. She has been an English teacher at Menlo-Atherton for over two decades, teaching AP Literature, Russian literature, and ELD classes for students just arriving in this country. She has been married to her best friend for thirty-one years and has one son, Dean, who is also an educator in the Bay Area.
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