FILMMAKER | SPEAKER | AUTHOR
Author
Touched by Hannah
My manuscript (memoir) is completed
I am currently seeking agent representation
When Daddy and Daughter Tread on Deathbeds:
Chris and Betsy Hennessy, who had already defied medical odds to conceive, found themselves in crisis when daughter Hannah arrived three months premature—a micro-preemie weighing just one pound nine ounces. The prognosis was grim: even if she survived, doctors warned that her chances of leading a healthy life were poor. Just four weeks prior, Chris underwent radical prostatectomy surgery for aggressive prostate cancer.
Father and daughter fought for survival simultaneously against overwhelming odds. Yet, an extraordinary story of resilience and unbreakable bonds between father, mother, and daughter emerged from this dual medical nightmare.
Instead of succumbing to fear, Chris faced it head-on and lived entirely in the present moment. Despite surgical complications and excruciating pain, he stationed himself beside Hannah's incubator for countless hours. His giant finger was held tight in her tiny grasp as he sang improvised songs and prayers, his irrepressible wit lifting spirits throughout the NICU—a beacon of hope during the most challenging times.
Touched by Hannah is both a gripping medical memoir and a tender love story about Chris and Betsy, whose unwavering partnership anchors them through their darkest hours. This testament to parental love reveals how living life as usual amidst chaos became their pathway to healing.
Through intimate, horrific, always optimistic and often humorous glimpses from the front lines of the cancer ward and NICU, Chris's distinctive voice proves that while we cannot choose our trials, we can choose how we face them— positive over negative, prayer over fear, hope over despair, and laughter instead of gloom.
“The odds were that one or both of us wouldn't make it. Tomorrow would be a frightening thought. However, when living in the moment, there wasn't a tomorrow. And when tomorrow doesn't exist, there's no stressing about it. I felt honored, blessed, and cherished every second I sat there, Touched by Hannah.”
I was fortunate to be connected to and work closely with Cecil Murphey,
an acclaimed writer (25 million books sold) who saw potential in my initial pages. His guidance and feedback over twenty months made me the writer I aspired to be.
Cec’s initial feedback, “You've hooked me on the first five pages. It's one of the best pieces I've received from a prospective protégé," validated that I was telling an extraordinary story and pushed me to work consistently hard to finish my book.
Touched by Hannah
The story's reach has been profound
The thirteen-minute documentary Miracles on College Street, which Hennessy produced to promote Touched by Hannah, captured the essence of the narrative and took the 'Film Heals' award (most inspirational) at the 2022 Manhattan Film Festival, New York City. Miracles was a top-five finalist documentary at Manhattan and runner-up, 'Best Episode West Coast,' at the 2022 ACM Western Region WAVE Cable TV Awards.
These accolades, along with the attention from media outlets--newspapers, NBC TV News, KGO-810 radio in San Francisco, and thousands of social media followers-- demonstrate the universal appeal of Hannah's story.
Touched by Hannah
Stories within the story!
“I think ours would make a great story,”
Chris told his wife, Betsy, in 2012, three years after Hannah's birth and his cancer surgery,
In 2013, Saved By Hannah was the name of the film Hennessy planned to write and produce. However, he soon decided to write the book first to tell their entire story. See the JPG below, which describes how the title, Touched By Hannah, originated.
"I worked hard, 100% effort times infinity—I never rushed or cut corners, and suddenly, after grinding for a couple of thousand hours, I've written a book, Touched by Hannah, and it's being proofread!
I'll write the movie screenplay when the book finds the right publisher. I have not considered titles, but it will differ from Touched By Hannah."
