Mother of Seattle Seahawk Goes By The Book to Tackle Loneliness

Dorothy Okung Authors "Only the Lonely Can Play"

Nov 22 2013

Engagement Insider

HOUSTON, TX November 21, 2013 – When the nest is empty, a mother’s nights can be long and lonely.

But rather than lament the loneliness after her son left to become an NFL Pro Bowler and her daughter moved to New York City, Dorothy Okung would wake up in the middle of the night and capture her feelings by writing.

Those numerous nights spent burning the midnight oil turned into two years, but it proved well worth it when her written words became a book entitled “Only the Lonely Can Play.”

With a Thanksgiving week book launch event in Houston, Dorothy, who authored the book under her name of Eno (www.enoentertainment.com), thought her therapeutic approach could help others.

“The book is a snapshot of many forms of loneliness that women have,” said the mother of Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Russell Okung. “To bring this to life, I created four characters who were married, single, a mother, and an empty nester.”

Dorothy, who had previous magazine experience and other book topics in mind, said that after her children’s father passed away and with her main role as a mother altered, she would wake up with nothing to do.

“Loneliness is not a hush-hush subject and something we should be ashamed of,” she noted. “Loneliness does exist, and is really how you feel about you and how you deal with it. For couples, you can be with someone and feel alone, but if you meet the right person the loneliness goes away.”

Although she kept her book under wraps while writing, the word is out now and the feedback has been fantastic.

“I have heard mostly from my friends in Houston,” Dorothy exclaimed, “but with a publisher, a press release and media invited to the launch, much more lies ahead.”

So she may follow her son’s footsteps in finding fame & fortune.

“We didn’t even think about the NFL until his last game of college at OklahomaState when we started hearing that he was going to get drafted, so we were surprised,” exclaimed Dorothy, who is a Professional Football Players Mother Association Representative.

A revelation that became reality when the 6’5” 310-pound Russell was selected sixth overall in the 2010 draft.

“It shocked us, but since then it has been beyond our wildest dreams,” remarked Dorothy. “We all love the game of football, and feel fortunate and blessed to be chosen for this gift.”

A gift that will keep on giving beyond the football world as Dorothy’s book shares the spotlight.