An Interview with Rene McDermott,  Author of the Award-winning Memoir, Raised to Life: The Story of Bethany

By Denise Marsh

Fated to Meet

One of the best perks of being a writer for Cultural Corner is being exposed to a plethora of people with innovative ideas.   My encounter with Rene McDermott is definitely a testament to this revelation.  I met Rene at the 100^th Birthday Bash for the Boynton Beach Women’s club, we were both showcasing our books at a table.  There was a wonderful crowd, but because of  many vendors we shared a table. Initially I was concerned about the table situation.  But Rene handled it like a trooper and was so organized at it. She made a space for herself but still managed to make enough room for me to be able to showcase my books. During the afternoon I got to know her and her calm and friendly demeanor gave me such good vibes. She didn’t talk about her book much, in fact was very humble about it. But, when we were leaving the event, Rene  asked if we could trade books and review each other’s books.  I was obliged to keep these promises. Little did I know, months later that I would read this book and it would be such an emotional experience for me. I felt like it was a story not to just be read but rather experienced and shared. Rene’s book Raised to Life: The Story of Bethany is about her daughter’s  miraculous birth.  I will not spoil the book for you, but the interview will surely persuade you to read the book. Let’s start this interview.

A Poignant Journey

AW:  In your book, you explain that your daughter was diagnosed with a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia prior to birth.  Please tell us more about your book and your journey.

R.M: I have to say that it was one of those situations where I didn’t know I was pregnant. One of my peculiar co-workers at the time talked about having a vision of a positive pregnancy test in her dream. She didn’t know who it could be because all her friends were in menopause. So, I discarded the “vision “and pretty much said, “well, good luck with that”.  Ironically, weeks later I found myself in a women’s clinic with a positive pregnancy test. It was this crazy experience that you could not orchestrate if God wasn’t involved.  Everything just came together. I don’t want to reveal everything about the book, but it definitely helped me develop more faith for what I already believed in.  

I don’t think it’s unique because we all experience unexpected events. With the world now, there’s just so much that you can deal with. And then you realize with faith you can bring so much to the table. 

AW: Your story is truly a miracle and people are so skeptical these days.  How do you speak to this?  What do you tell people? 

R.M: Well, you know it  is funny because I remember hearing a really wise person say,  “ You really aren’t here to talk anyone into anything because as soon as you talk someone into something, someone else is going to come around talk them out of it”. The only thing I could do is to talk from my own experience and say that I, myself have questioned things like “miracles”.  But I experienced it. Bethany was diagnosed to die on arrival and I was actually encouraged by the doctors to abort her.  And yet, there was still this deep knowing that this was NOT the right decision. I kept hearing God say, “No, you need to do this. There’s a plan here. I am doing something here so hang in here”.  I didn’t even have a ray of hope until I was about 6 months pregnant but I kept going.   

AW: Was this memoir your first book?

R.M:  Yes,  I had never written any books prior to this one. I did some grant writing when I was a director. My favorite author is Francine Rivers and the thing that I  loved about her stories is that you really felt like you were experiencing what the characters were experiencing.   Although mine was not a fiction novel, I wanted the reader to share my journey.

AW: Was the actual writing process of the book cathartic for you?

R.M: I knew that if I was going to write this book, I had to make myself be very vulnerable. I wanted people to resonate with scenes-me crying in the shower. I actually cried AFTER writing the book when I read it over. I think there are certain parts that heal after different experiences and you retouch on stuff from the past and relive it. When I was writing the book I was very focused on all the technical parts; I wanted to make sure that I remembered everything. But the thing is why are we here if we can’t utilize our darkest moments to lift somebody up when its their turn to go through it? The human experience is very common for all of us.  

Growing up we didn’t have the internet or Facebook; we were playing video games like Atari. Nowadays, you have Facebook and support groups where you can watch people starting their journey and have those support systems and forums to share information. A lot of treatments weren’t available back then, so the more you can share, the better.  My daughter was in the first group of kids that was “unsurvivable” but were starting to be “survivable” because of advances in Medicine. This was exciting to be able to share with the next generation and equally important.  

AW: In your book you highlighted some of the doctors and surgeons that were very instrumental in your journey.  Can you please elaborate more on this?

R.M: It was such a big spiritual journey for me. God just put the right people in my life. I had my OBGYN, Sherri Maetozo in St. Augustine Florida and she was the one that identified my daughter’s hernia in that 21weeks. We wouldn’t have had that time to search and find somebody that specializes in it.  The challenge was, that when Bethany was born, she looked like a normal baby, but had we not known what was going on with her, they would’ve spent all their time trying to figure out why she was not breathing that  Although mine was not a fiction novel, I wanted the reader to share my journey.

The OBGYN that I had, specifically had all these experiences in high-risk pregnancies and  immediately  began an aggressive approach to treating it.   She was the one who got me on the right path to finding answers. 

I recently sent her a copy of the book. I kept thinking that maybe she wouldn’t remember me.  However, she hadn’t forgotten me at all. In fact, she sent me a beautiful email saying that she remembered being on the roof of the hospital, catching a glimpse of me leaving in a helicopter and she was crying.   Our situation impacted everyone around us. 

There was little hope for us at the time, and then we found out that a doctor in San Francisco ( I lived in St. Augustine at the time) could help  us, so we flew over there.  But, miraculously, ( because my brother-in-law had done some  research) we ended up with Dr. David Kays, who was  just two hours from where we lived.  He hadn’t been published yet, but he had some amazing numbers.  Later on, he became the medical director of the Center for Congenital diaphragmatic Hernia at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. If it hadn’t been for my brother-in-law, we would never have found someone closer to where we lived. Every step of the way God us to the right people at the right time and it ended up being a beautiful outcome.  

AW: Do you think that some people who are non-believers or people who struggle with faith were still able to benefit from your book?  Have you had any positive feedback? 

R.M: It has been really nice because there have been people who have read it and either believe in the same faith as me or not but they really connect with the story.  I think we all reach out to something else when we  are struggling and I wanted to share my experience. We’re each to our own devices to make decisions of where and to whom we will reach out. But I just felt like it was really important to share my experience.  Even, just the weird things, like the nightmares; everything felt like an outer-body experience for me.  

AW: There  is something very special about your book cover.   Please share the details with us.  

R.M: If you look closely, there is a picture of Bethany.  The picture was actually a “selfie” that she had given me.  I remember telling her, “This is a great picture of you that you took yourself”.  I thought about how soulful her eyes looked and everything we had gone through, and knew that this needed to be the cover.  

AW: Bethany is all grown up now. Do you feel that  her challenges at birth affected her life in any way?

R.M: She is a beautiful 28-year-old who has defied all of the odds. They said she’d have physical limitations. They said she’d only be able to eat bland food. In contrast she is my “Italian Sub girl” and eats plenty of spicy food.  They said she would have physical limitations and meanwhile she’s a Yoga instructor that does all of the inversions and all that crazy stuff. I’m just really proud of her.

AW: Where can people purchase your book?

R.M: They can go to my website: https://www.renemcdermott.com

Or they can go to either: Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com

AW: Do you have any future plans for your book? While reading  it, I could totally picture is as an Audio book.

R.M: There are two plans. Yes, I definitely want to do an Audio book and I am blessed because my stepson’s expertise is in audio.  He has offered to help me with this endeavor, so we will work on this together.  There have also been several people who have given reviews on Amazon and have also mentioned it in face-to-face interaction about the book, “reading like a movie”.  My philosophy is now taking one opportunity after another as it shares itself.  And, my thing is to just share my story and see where  it goes. 

AW: You had mentioned to me that you were getting sone type of award for the Memoir.  Please share the details with us.

R.M: So, I had never written a book before but I was like,” Am I going to be good at it?” I didn’t want to be like the person that everyone says can sing and you sing and they say, “Please don’t….” I won a category award, then at the next level was named an Author of the Year finalist for Inspirational Memoir-this was all through International Impact Book Awards.  The ceremony for these awards is in October in Hollywood, California.  It is at a hotel right by where they have the Oscars and I have to get all decked out!  I am bringing Bethany with me.  I’ve only been to California once when Bethany was “in me”.  It will be televised on television but am not sure of the channel.  They have been wonderful and supportive to deal with.  

A lesson in gratitude

Rene McDermott is a joy to be around and an overall gracious and grateful individual.  I believe she has restored some faith in my life and  renewed my sense of gratitude.  Raised to Life: The story of Bethany is a story to be continuously shared.   I hope you will consider reading the book and experiencing her journey, I am so glad that I did.