Game Changer

A Boy, A Dog, And A Cure

Non-Fiction - Memoir
233 Pages
Reviewed on 01/18/2023
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Author Biography

Paul Frase was an NFL defensive lineman; Alison Rockett was an assistant manager for Guns N’ Roses and a personal assistant to fashion design mogul Max Azria, founder of BCBG.
Their first child, Joshua, was born with a muscular disorder called myotubular myopathy (MTM). The doctors would not give him more than 24 hours to live.
Alison became Joshua’s advocate immediately.
Before Joshua had his first birthday, Alison and her husband, Paul, started a foundation to search for a cure for their son’s disease.
Alison has since been published in Human Gene Therapy and was featured in the MIT Technology Review. Alison forged relationships with MDA, NIH, NORD and Global Genes during the Joshua Frase Foundation’s quest for a cure for MTM. Paul and the family were featured in USA Today during the week of Super Bowl 32, when he was a member of the Green Bay Packers squad.
Paul and Alison have been interviewed by Jerry Lee Lewis of the MDA Telethon, Jeremy Schaap on The Sporting Life, and countless other television and radio personalities and broadcasts. Paul also has been on Fox and Friends to promote the foundation.
Paul played for eleven seasons (from 1988 to 1998) with the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers, and Baltimore Ravens. He is the unprecedented two-time recipient of the Ed Block Courage award, a peer selected honor that identifies a team player who exemplifies commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage.

Please visit us at www.joshuafrase.org.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Philip Van Heusen for Readers' Favorite

Game Changer is the heart-wrenching, gut-twisting drama that is the life of the Frase family. Paul Frase and Alison Rockett are the loving parents of Joshua Miles Frase. Joshua has a rare genetic disorder. He is differently-abled, but this did not stop his parents from launching into action to find a cure for Myotubular Myopathy (MTM). In the shadow of this spell-binding journey, one can see the hand of God working out the details. When Joshua was born, he scored zero on the Apgar assessment. Only parents who have stood where Paul and Alison found themselves will fully understand the implications. But Joshua finally had a diagnosis. I have been in those shoes, and this book is both amazing and eye-opening. Alison and Paul open their hearts and let the reader see inside while feeling the pain and excitement.

Having a differently-abled child may result in the loss of many dreams, but the love it brings more than makes up for any loss. “Grief, in the world of special needs, is an ongoing reality.” Paul Frase and Alison Rockett understand that God is sovereign. They share their deeply held belief in the Almighty in Game Changer. This book is an emotionally moving testimony to the courage and strength parents of differently-abled children often exhibit. It is written in a friendly manner, making the reader feel as if they are sitting in the den with Paul and Alison, just chatting about how their life was changed. This became a blessing for others because of the research they initiated in the hope of a cure for Joshua. Read through to the exciting end and see what can be accomplished when parents do their part. When doctors give parents no hope, it is time to find hope in Jesus Christ.

Alma Boucher

Game Changer by Paul Frase and Alison Rockett is about their son Joshua who was diagnosed with Myotubular Myopathy (MTM). After Joshua’s birth, Alison was told that he had a life-threatening disorder and that he was unlikely to survive. Joshua was sent home with his parents and Paul and Alison were advised to bring him back after a year for evaluation - if he was still alive. Paul and Alison then founded the Joshua Frase Foundation for Congenital Myopathy Research to search for a cure for MTM. We join Paul and Alison on their journey with their son Joshua in searching for a solution. They remain committed to seeing it through. Paul and Alison went through difficult times and had to confront the possibility of death, but Joshua still had a job to do on earth and survived.

Paul Frase and Alison Rockett share their personal and emotional journey in Game Changer. This memoir is powerful and moving, as it relates their struggle and hopes for discovering a cure. Their account is inspiring and beautifully written. It drives you to keep reading and sharing their vision. Paul and Alison take you with them during their times of hope and despair. They did not shy away from showing their emotions and recalling the struggles they endured. The balance between Paul and Alison’s heartbreak and creating hope for others is insightful. The message is one of strength, acceptance, and love. Thanks to Paul and Alison, the Joshua Frase Foundation now brings hope to those suffering from MTM.

Rabia Tanveer

Game Changer by Paul Frase and Alison Rockett is about a couple who loved, fought, and acquired a great deal, even though they lost the most precious thing in their life. Frase was an NFL defensive lineman, and Rockett was the assistant manager for the classic rock band Guns N’ Roses. Their worlds were galaxies apart, but somehow they met at a bar and the rest is history. Married with a baby on the way, the couple was on cloud nine. However, their baby Joshua was born with MTM, a muscular disorder with no cure at that time. The couple fought for every breath their son took as they looked to find a cure or miracle to keep their son by their side. Their journey to find the cure was ultimately successful; however, it was too late for Joshua but not for others who benefit from the research of the Joshua Fraser Foundation.

Heartbreaking yet cathartic at the same time, Game Changer is such an emotional story to read. Though inspiring, I cannot imagine how painful the whole writing process might have been for Paul Frase and Alison Rockett. I loved how they started from the beginning; they met by chance, and their relationship thrived. Rockett had a spark highlighted by her struggles to get help for her little boy. Frase provided a strong shoulder for Alison and support for Joshua to get through the most painful times. Their work for MTM and finding hope for the future created a beautiful legacy for Joshua who was a trooper. I cried a little reading this memoir, but I bawled after reading the epilogue. I hope Game Changer gives courage to parents and siblings of the people fighting such terrifying diseases. My wish is that they find hope and the will to fight because sometimes hope is all it takes to make a difference.