Becker resident Kristin Salvevold just released her first book, and already community members and readers around the nation are reading and enjoying it. The book, “A Quiet Witness: When Living a Story is Louder than Telling It” is about Salvevold’s daughter, Jensyn, and her short six and a half years on Earth before returning home to Heaven. A book release party will be held on April 14 from 1-4 p.m. at Dueling Brews in Becker.

Chris and Kristin Salvevold are the parents of eight kids, and Jensyn was their youngest. Kristin had a normal pregnancy, but the parents were surprised to discover that Jensyn had an extremely rare genetic disorder known as Trisomy 5p. Only 50 cases of children born with this condition have ever been documented. 

The Salvevolds had another special needs daughter, and so they were prepared for anything their baby girl needed, but after many trips to the hospital and needing to intubate Jensyn many times, they got their official diagnosis and knew that Jensyn would never live a long life, or even learn to walk or talk. Jensyn had seizures and needed full-time care for her condition. 

Kristin wanted to make sure Jensyn’s story was told, even while she was alive. She shared many posts online about Jensyn, on CaringBridge.org. Jensyn passed away in March of 2023. And, with the encouragement of family and friends, Kristin soon after began writing her book to honor Jensyn’s legacy and also record the joys and struggles the family had during her short life. Kristin said she was hesitant at first to start the project so soon after Jensyn’s passing, but her uncle encouraged her to start writing while her emotions were still very raw and honest, and so she began in June of 2023. 

The book talks about the emotions of Chris and Kristin and the rest of the family during Jensyn’s life, capturing all the significant moments of her life with her big family. The Salvevolds said Jensyn was never a burden for them or the rest of the family. While it was true that the family was never able to go on vacation because of her care, they were happy to sacrifice for their daughter or little sister. The parents said God used Jensyn’s life to teach them things they never fully could have understood without her in their lives. 

Even though the book was only just released on March 30, already it is topping the Amazon charts as the number one new release from the midwest and number three in death and grieving (as of the time this article was written.) 

A book release party will be held, open to the public, on April 14 from 1-4 p.m. at Duelling Brews in Becker. Books will be available for purchase and the author will be on hand to sign books if desired.