Dani's Story: A Journey from Neglect to Love - Hardcover

by Diane Lierow (Author), Bernie Lierow (Author), Kay West (Author)

The story that captivated a nation?how a horribly neglected little girl was rescued by her loving adoptive parents

In July 2005, a six-year-old girl named Danielle was removed from her Florida home after authorities found her living in bug-ridden squalor, subjected to horrific neglect and so damaged by her own mother that recovery seemed hopeless. But hope was waiting for Dani?and help. In October 2007, Bernie and Diane Lierow, a hard-working couple with five boys of their own, adopted her and utterly transformed her life. This book tells the moving story of how the Lierows rescued Dani and helped her recover to the point where she can not only communicate, something once thought impossible, but can say of herself, ""I pretty.""

• Dani's story was featured on Oprah and the subject of a Pulitzer Prize-winning article published by the St. Petersburg Times
• The Lierows describe their struggle to adopt Dani, how they bonded with her and made a home for her, how they satisfied her craving for contact and stimuli, how Dani began to overcome her severe learning disabilities, how she learned she no longer had to steal food, and how their son Willie may be the greatest brother ever
• For readers who enjoyed Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope; Hope's Boy; and Sickened: The True Story of a Lost Childhood

Charting a perilous journey from hardship to hope, a new family, and a second chance at life, Dani's Story is a book you cannot put down and will never forget.

Front Jacket

"The photo of the little girl was grainy black and white, even a little blurred. There was no pretty background, no fun props, and no cute outfit. Her bangs were uneven and jaggedly cut, and she wasn't smiling. She had a vacant, distant look in her eyes. But it was those eyes that pulled me in and grabbed my heart. I looked at my husband and said 'Bernie, she needs us.' He answered, 'I know.'"

When young Danielle was rescued from a dark room in her mother's filthy, roach-infested home, she spoke only in grunts and yelps, walked on her tiptoes, was not toilet-trained, and drank from a baby bottle. She was almost seven years old.

This book shares the deeply moving story of how Diane and Bernie Lierow were led to this remarkable little girl and became determined to overcome every obstacle so that she would become their daughter and receive the care and love that all children deserve.

A special ed classroom at Sanders Memorial Elementary School in Land O' Lakes, Florida, was where they would first meet Danielle, the child whose photo had captivated them at an adoption event several weeks earlier. They were filled with excitement, but also trepidation: What if they saw her and decided that she was just too much for them to handle? What if she harmed their son Willie, or took too much of their attention away from him? What if this young girl who drooled, bit her own arms and hands, and did not engage with others, threw a tantrum at the sight of them?

Once the Lierows entered the classroom, their fears fell away in a moment that was as surprising as it was simple--the moment when a little game with a Slinky toy established their first bond with Dani and marked the beginning of their new life together as a family.

Even more remarkable is what has happened since--how the Lierows learned to satisfy their daughter's craving for contact and stimuli, how Dani began to overcome her severe learning disabilities, how she learned she no longer had to steal food, and how their son Willie may be the greatest brother ever.

Charting a perilous journey from hardship to hope, love, and a second chance at life, Dani's Story is a book you cannot put down and, like the girl in the photo, you will never forget.

Back Jacket

The Story That Captivated the Nation

In July 2005, six-year-old Danielle was removed from her Florida home after authorities found her living in squalor, subjected to horrific neglect, and so damaged by her own mother that recovery seemed impossible.

But hope and help were waiting for this little girl when Diane and Bernie Lierow, a hard-working couple with five boys of their own, adopted Dani and utterly transformed her life. Here is her--and their--incredible story of a journey from neglect to love.

Author Biography

DIANE and BERNIE LIEROW are parents to six children, including Dani, as well as foster parents. Their story won a Pulitzer Prize for the St. Petersburg Times and was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. They live on a farm in Tennessee with miniature horses, goats, chickens, and Great Pyrenees dogs.

KAY WEST is a veteran print media journalist who has also written three books.