I Couldn’t Tell You
The True Story of a Mother and Daughter’s Journey to Overcome Their Mental Health Demons
Journey to Japan
A Life-Saving Memoir
A story of compassion and perseverance
Sarah Deschamps
About the Author
Sarah Deschamps is an author and memoirist whose writing explores family, resilience, and the lasting impact of medical trauma. Her deeply personal works, including the internationally published Journey to Japan: A Life-Saving Memoir and I Couldn’t Tell You, draw from her experiences raising a family abroad, navigating critical medical crises, mental health struggles, and embracing the personal growth that can emerge from extraordinary circumstances. Through her work, Deschamps brings empathy and insight to stories of survival, parenting, and the emotional complexity of healing.
Highlights
Sarah Deschamps appears Live on NBC 6 South Florida
Sarah Deschamps appeared live on NBC 6 South Florida on Monday, March 9, 2026, to discuss her…
Reviews
I Couldn’t Tell You
EXCEPTIONAL. CANDID. A fascinating and emotionally engaging read from cover to cover. Intensely personal, yet with a universal resonance.
-James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review
I admire your courage, your tenacity and your resilience during the long and hard years you and your family, and of course Lily went through. Writing about it was surely a therapy for you, but your love for your daughter and your grit are also an example for your readers. Your books make known the very rare birth defect Lily suffers from, and its psychological consequences for her and her family, and they are really well written. You say you were not a writer when you decided to publish your and Lily’s story, but you have certainly become a very good one! Your two books are true page turners, I couldn’t stop reading till the end.
It is very gripping. This is harrowing stuff. How could you as a mother bear it? I can’t believe what you went through. It takes courage to survive all this and write it down in a readable fashion. You are a survivor. You are honest about your own personality, it really comes through. You are inspirational. I must read it again, you wrote it so well. The scene with Lily singing is so powerful, I burst into tears. It is a transformational moment.
I just finished reading, “I Couldn’t Tell You,” Wow! You hit it out of the park! I wish your path through parenthood had been simpler, but we don’t get to choose that. What a gift this book is!
Your story is so compelling, it gives people hope. It filled me with gratitude – makes one feel they’re not alone. Your and Lily’s strength to share it… I could feel it.
Thank you for the incredible courage it must have taken you to write this book and lift the taboos surrounding mental health, in particular when facing a serious medical condition of your own child. Your style, with short chapters, lively dialogue, and a perfect length, pulls the reader right into the story, making your reasoning, your emotions and your key message easy to follow and understand. I was especially struck by your openness about how you and your husband exemplify the perseverance it takes to keep trying new paths, including the vital decision to seek professional help.
The book is a raw and honest look at the “living together” reality, where the daily effort and perseverance are continuous rather than a passing phase. Despite important challenges, your family succeeded in staying focused and dedicated through these medical and emotional challenges because of your collective resilience and refusal to give up. Your key message, echoed by Lily, shines through with such humility: identifying mental health symptoms early isn’t a shame, it’s a way to save yourself. You, Lily, and your family should be so proud of what you are doing and for sharing your story to encourage others to persevere and seek both medical and mental health support early on.
Bravo! Your book is heartbreaking and life affirming. You are the strongest, bravest person I know.
Exceptional, candid, “I Couldn’t Tell You: The True Story of a Mother and Daughter’s Journey to Overcome Their Mental Health Demons” is a simply fascinating and emotionally engaging read from cover to cover. Intensely personal yet with a universal resonance, “I Couldn’t Tell You” is an extraordinary account and one that is unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections.
This is a searing portrait of a mom’s struggle to work through her own mental health challenges as she handles her daughter’s complex medical needs over many years. The writing is compelling, I could not put this down! Many moms (and daughters!) will relate to this story. Parenting can be a rough road, and this author puts it all out there, with themes vividly brought to life, including anxiety and OCD, medical PTSD, parental expectations, teenage independence, marital challenges, all of it! But also there’s a ray of light to let you know you can get through it. Highly recommend!
Your book is marvelous. The raw emotions you share…wow! Very powerful.
Your book came yesterday, and I read it cover to cover today. It is so compelling and so beautifully written. I was moved to tears and struck time and again by your voice and your authenticity. I am overwhelmed by the thought of all you’ve been through. The book is exquisite.
This is a searing portrait of a mom’s struggle to work through her own mental health challenges as she handles her daughter’s complex medical needs over many years. The writing is compelling, I could not put this down! Many moms (and daughters!) will relate to this story. Parenting can be a rough road, and this author puts it all out there, with themes vividly brought to life, including anxiety and OCD, medical PTSD, parental expectations, teenage independence, marital challenges, all of it! But also there’s a ray of light to let you know you can get through it. Highly recommend!
I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how much your writing has meant to me. When I picked up “Journey to Japan: A Life-Saving Memoir,” I was instantly captivated—I honestly couldn’t put it down. After finishing it, I remember reaching out to you because I wanted to hear the rest of your story. Then, along came “I Couldn’t Tell You,” and it was every bit as powerful and honest as your first book. I can truly say it’s one of the best non-fiction books I’ve read, and it resonated with me on so many levels.
Having known you for over 15 years and worked with you in various situations, I never would have guessed the challenges you were facing during all those years. You’ve always brought grace and gratitude to every interaction, inspiring everyone around you. Reading about how you felt you “had to do this on your own” was hard, but it also made your courage to share your story even more meaningful. The way you’ve protected others in your sphere while being so open about your journey is truly admirable.
Thank you for being such an inspiration, Sarah. Your strength, resilience, and willingness to share your experiences have touched so many people—including me. Well done!
As a medical professional, this book is a revelation – giving a perspective rarely talked about – how physical and mental health issues compound for both the patient AND those who care for them.
While so few can empathize on a medical level, this memoir tells of a deeply personal journey everyone can relate to on some level of a time when one had to cope with a situation utterly out of one’s control. This book lays out the fears, anxieties, uncertainties we have all felt in our lives, all under the guise and immense strain of putting on a hopeful and supportive face for your loved ones when you only feel helpless.
This read is a beautiful reminder for us all to acknowledge that it’s ok to not be ok. And that there is a way through
I devoured this book in two sittings.
Excellent memoir, well-written and very moving. She writes of her family struggling with both her daughter’s serious ongoing medical problems and the mental health challenges that can travel along with this. These are things that are hard for all of us to talk about, and it is easy for families to feel isolated if mental health problems are present. I am grateful for the author’s honesty in sharing her journey through her family’s breakup and repair.
I Couldn’t Tell You” is just as, and in some ways more, engrossing as Sarah’s first book, “Journey to Japan A Life-Saving Memoir”. She has a totally relatable style of writing and I felt like I was in the room with her and Lily, as well as Fred and Emma. I am so grateful to Sarah and Lily for being willing to share the next chapters of their lives after arriving back in Minnesota because as I read the book, I was invested in their story – and I know other readers were too. More importantly, I am grateful for Sarah’s willingness to bare her soul to a world of strangers. We all need affirmations that what we are going through is “OK”, that we can get through a given crisis, and that others not only will understand but will be there as steadfast support. Thank you Sarah, for letting yourself be seen in such a brutally honest way. Your readers are better off after reading this book.
I admire your courage, your tenacity and your resilience during the long and hard years you and your family, and of course Lily went through. Writing about it was surely a therapy for you, but your love for your daughter and your grit are also an example for your readers. Your books make known the very rare birth defect Lily suffers from, and its psychological consequences for her and her family, and they are really well written. You say you were not a writer when you decided to publish your and Lily’s story, but you have certainly become a very good one! Your two books are true page turners, I couldn’t stop reading till the end.
I just finished Sarah’s book. I couldn’t put it down — except when I couldn’t take any more challenges that they faced. Please give Sarah my congratulations and save a few for family.
Journey to Japan
I was engrossed in this mother’s journey from the moment I started the book. It is an amazing testament to the power of a mother’s love. My deepest admiration for the tenacity of this mother, this child and the entire family. I want to hug all of you. 🙂
I just finished reading this book and absolutely loved it. The author has done a phenomenal job with describing the story, the emotions, the challenges and the triumphs! And while the topic is serious, it also made me laugh at multiple times with good humor. Well done!
My book club read this book. Not only did we all give it 5 stars, but the discussion afterwards brought up all sorts of interesting facts about our own journeys in this life. Very well written!
I read this book in one sitting, I could not put it down. This beautiful family fought hard and saved the life of their child, facing innumerable obstacles, that would raze most of us to the ground. This book will speak to anyone in need of inspiration and the humor, humility and raw humanity make it a page turner. I highly recommend this book.
I loved this book. As a previous Tokyo expat, I was immediately transported back to our own journey. I could so relate to Sarah’s observations & descriptions of life as a foreigner in Tokyo. The joys & the challenges. Reading about Sarah’s family’s triumph over adversity was inspiring. What an incredibly stressful, exhausting & traumatic time for little Lily and their whole family. It is so thoughtfully written & easy to read, despite the complexity of the medical situation. For anyone going through a challenging medical journey with a child, this book shows the power & unwavering strength of parental love, against the backdrop of living in a foreign land.
This is a story of high hopes and soul-crushing despair that Sarah and Fred go through as they adjust to the realities of living in a foreign environment while welcoming into the world a baby that requires urgent and extensive medical care to survive and thrive. Throughout this journey, Sarah describes her feelings with exquisite candour. She invites us to share, uncensored, the raw emotions that she experiences both towards the foreign culture in which the story unfolds (Japan) and where she is consistently reminded that she does not belong and towards her baby Lily to whom she so desperately wants to offer all the opportunities of living a full life.
Through the narration of this very personal journey, the author reminds us of the universal power of love, courage, and hope in the face of insurmountable challenges. A truly inspiring read!
The author takes us through a race against time to figure out what is wrong with her newborn and how to fix it. Her baby has a rare and complicated condition, but through perseverance, dedication and organization, she figures it out. At times tender, at times funny, at times sad and at times happy, this is a real-life story of life. How everything you thought you had can turn in an instant and you have to re-invent yourself again. This is a book of inspiration for everyone who has faced or is facing adversity and is walking an unfamiliar path.
There are memoirs about struggling to heal a very sick child, some about the rollercoaster of emotions that come from navigating life in a foreign country, but this one is a rare combination of both. The book explains how hospitals and medical care work in Japan (spoiler alert, not like in the US, especially the food). Sarah is clear eyed about her and her family’s struggles. The book is peppered with pointed stories, including one that will make parents who remember their baby’s public messes wince. The clear writing style ensures the reader will understand and relate to the Deschamps’ family life in Japan.
Sarah Deschamps’ compelling memoir details a mother’s love and commitment to raising her young daughters despite daunting challenges. This book is a skillfully written page-turner with heart and masterful storytelling. I had a hard time putting it down: I kept wanting to find out the next turn in this family’s one-of-a-kind story.