Review: The Secrets to Living a Fantastic Life by Dr. Allen Lycka and Harriet Tinka

Two survivors collaborate to tell their harrowing recollections and share their rise to successful aftermaths in the emotive, engaging, you-can-too guidebook, The Secrets to Living a Fantastic Life: Two Survivors Reveal the 13 Golden Pearls They’ve Discovered.

Dr. Allen Lycka was walking into the Magic Kingdom at Disneyland when he was noticed that his foot was, in his wife’s panicked assessment, “flapping.” After extensive testing, he learned he had ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), and only six months to live. At age 52 with a reputation as a world-class cosmetic dermatologist and a happy family life, Dr. Lycka became angry, depressed, and then determined. He discovered a physician who, like himself, had received that same fatal diagnosis but found that the true disease was Lyme’s Disease, which is readily treatable.

Harriet Tinka was a svelte teen model when she enrolled in university. Taking an apartment near the campus, she felt lonely and was quickly befriended by a man named Marshall, who turned out to be a dangerous psychopath. Marshall kidnapped her, stabbing her so brutally she could have died from loss of blood, and abandoned her in a parked car. In recuperation in hospital, Tinka met an angelic child who encouraged her to overcome her traumatic experience and “make a difference to the world.”

These two remarkable victors have constructed a book worthy of their histories. Using the device of dialogue, they examine in detail thirteen qualities that allowed them to rise above circumstance and attain meaningful change, newly dedicating themselves to service to others. These qualities, or “Golden Pearls,” as they put them are: Love, Inspiration, Victory, Vulnerability, Intention (Purpose), Non-Negotiables, Forgiveness, Attitude, Thankfulness, Tenacity, Laughter, Enthusiasm, and Empowerment.

Each “Pearl” segment begins with an illustrative parable, followed by the authors in conversation citing many helpful resources. Thankfulness is demonstrated by the story of a homeless woman whose visit from Santa, arranged by concerned social workers, gave her a new perspective on life’s possibilities. The famed racehorse Seabiscuit, awkward and unshapely, represents Victory, as he simply refused to lose a race. One unusual pearl, perhaps, is Vulnerability – Lycka and Tinka agree that in order to go all out, one has to put everything on the line. A “bonus pearl” is Fear, allowing the authors to aptly concentrate on the current Covid-19 phenomenon; fear can be a potent stimulant for overcoming danger.

Throughout this guide to better choices, the authors provide a plethora of quotations ranging from the humor of Mark Twain and Will Rogers to the spiritual wisdom of Mother Teresa and the inspiration of Martin Luther King. They have willingly transformed themselves, for purposes of this lively manual, into a pair of compatible, if at times teasing or provoking, seekers, willing to share even the most private details of their own trauma and fear, in order to lead others out of the darkness of self-doubt that so often follows a cataclysmic event.

Since his encounter with looming death, Lycka has performed thousands of surgeries, saving the lives of skin cancer victims. Tinka has developed a social enterprise designed to inspire and educate young women. They have truly walked the walk, making this tome incredibly unique in the self-help market. Given the two have faced entirely different traumas, they have their own perspectives to share, while also offering universal insight, making The Secrets to Living a Fantastic Life both fascinating and inspirational.