IN HIS OWN TIME

An unvarnished memoir by a grieving mother who channeled her heartache into advocacy.

Lemoine recounts the life and often difficult times of her son, Andrew Reaster, a young Georgia resident who died in August 2025 at the age of 30. Reaster, who had been diagnosed with advanced colon cancer only months before, had overcome academic, social, and career difficulties over the course of his short life; the cancer diagnosis was the final challenge he and his family faced together in his idiosyncratic and determined fashion. The author chronicles the educational and social difficulties Reaster faced during his childhood, related to the multiple diagnoses he’d been assigned at the time, including ADHD, bipolar disorder, and depression. The eventual, appropriate diagnosis of autism, made in his high school years, provided some comfort to Reaster’s family, but challenges remained. His difficulties were partially ameliorated as he gained self-confidence while helping to run an ice cream business and making and selling handcrafted necklaces. Reaster’s real jump into independent adulthood came with the career he eventually forged for himself at UPS, beginning as a driver’s helper at around the age of 20 and advancing through the grueling process of becoming a driver. The UPS years were marked by growing friendships, professional success, and independent living. In what Lemoine refers to as “The Shock of a Lifetime,” Reaster was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic colon cancer after experiencing symptoms for only a few days. The author’s descriptions of the arduous course of treatment her son endured are heartbreaking and detailed, and her account of the months leading up to Reaster’s death and the effect it had on his family and friends is raw with maternal anguish. The memoir’s foreword (by Reaster’s gastroenterologist) and preface (by Lemoine) highlight the author’s efforts to raise awareness of colon cancer and prevent others from experiencing the pain her family has suffered.

A wrenching and deeply personal story of loss.