When Stories Heal: An Emotional Book Signing at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital
There were smiles, embraces and a few tears as Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital Foundation Board member and award-winning author Kareem Rosser came to the hospital on Tuesday, February 25, to present his new memoir When You’re Ready, A Love Story, which tells of the grief, struggles and fears Kareem encountered as he learned to redefine life and love after Lee Lee Jones, his first love, suffered a devastating accident resulting in traumatic brain injury. Lee Lee and her family joined Kareem, and both signed books at the event.
A fireside chat was moderated by Kareem's longtime friend and 6abc reporter Jessica Kartalija. Rose Plumari, the hospital's Vice President and Executive Director, and Jack Lynch, Main Line Health's President and CEO, also made remarks.
Kareem spoke about the themes of his book, which he feels are universal, and hopes others will draw inspiration in dealing with loss and seeking help.
Proceeds from book sales and event site donations will support the newly established Lee Lee Jones Patient Assistance Endowment Fund at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, where Lee Lee received her rehabilitative care immediately following her accident and continues outpatient therapy today. This fund is designed to aid patients and families who have a need for therapy, medical equipment or other items or services vital to the patient’s recovery and otherwise do not have the ability to pay.
Kareem’s second book follows his award-winning memoir, Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport that Changed Their Lives Forever. He has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, 60 Minutes, CNN, and HBO Real Sports. Kareem was intercollegiate polo player of the year at Colorado State University, then returned to Work to Ride, where he was originally introduced to the sport and now serves as Executive Vice President.
About the book
Kareem and Lee Lee were young, beautiful and deeply in love. Their love was a real-world romance that felt like a fairy tale: Kareem was raised in the Bottom — one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in Philadelphia — while Lee Lee was raised in the wealth of the Pennsylvania suburbs. They met and fell in love in the world of horses: Kareem, a nationally ranked polo player, and Lee Lee, a legacy equestrian. The world was at their feet, a lifetime of joy and adventure ahead of them. But their love story is interrupted by a devastating accident, which almost costs Lee Lee her life and destroys every plan and dream that Lee Lee and Kareem had made together.
In the months and years that follow, while Lee Lee struggles to heal, Kareem is crippled by ambiguous grief for the woman that he loves and for the future he imagined for them both. He feels buried alive. In the space between debilitating grief and bursts of anxiety, he’s forced to finally face his demons: his tumultuous childhood, his latent mental health issues, the murders of his older brother and his best friend, and a life constantly lived in the grip of panic and fear.
Honest and captivating, When You’re Ready is a narrative that honors love in all its forms: first love, parental love, renewed love, and, most importantly, self-love. With notes on unresolved loss and second chances, it’s a story that will grab you by the heartstrings and uplift your soul.
When You're Ready, A Love Story is available for purchase at most major book retailers. To support the Lee Lee Jones Patient Assistance Endowment Fund at Bryn Mawr Rehab with a donation, please visit our dedicated giving site.