Disability Memoir

Darkness—that’s what Bozena Gasior remembers feeling when she first heard her two-year-old son’s autism diagnosis. What followed was a cacophony of despair and cries, not knowing what to do, say, or feel. It was the day she thought that part of her son’s life had died. But one eventful day some four years later, his fingers touched the piano keys for the first time, and she felt something—a glimmer of light shining down, illuminating her home and family.

The story of Dr Amo Raju OBE DL is truly remarkable. Today, he is a multi-award winning member of society. Yet as a disabled child to present day, many around him have attempted to determine his future according to their own limiting expectations which led him to a thirty-year secret ‘relationship’ with depression. Authors Amo and Mani have ensured the protagonist, AJ Rai, based on Dr Amo Raju OBE DL, takes you on a journey of pain, heartache, laughter and triumph whilst capturing real-life scenarios which will keep you gripped to the next chapter.

Tales from my Yellow Room is a first-hand account of the challenges of living with a congenital disability, and the invisible difficulties society adds to such a life. Written with candor and humor, this Scottish-American story may change people’s perception of disability.

Diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Tammy wanted to share her journey with ALS with real and raw truths. Follow Tammy as she gives you a peek into her life before her diagnosis and then her journey while fighting ALS. This memoir was written with just Tammy's eyes using a electronic device called a Eye Gaze.

CANCER WITHOUT FEAR–A YEAR TO LIVE is the remarkable unconventional story of Chuck Sirko's terminal cancer diagnosis. When Chuck refused mainstream's “Gold Standard of Care”, his wife Jacqueline dedicated herself to researching alternative methods of treatment. The goal: to make Chuck’s remaining time free from any repercussions of radiation and chemotherapy and to live life to the fullest.

Damaged is a story of survivor's guilt coupled with resentment tempered by love. It reveals the changing dynamics of a family faced with an injury no one could heal. Nancy Klein was in the first trimester of her second pregnancy when she made headlines as "Coma Mom." This intimate memoir, written by Klein's sister, reveals all that happened to her and her family after the news cycle moved on. The family: a mother who never gave up hope, even when hope was long gone, and a father who couldn't live without his wife's love.

Shock. That was Darla's first reaction when her carefree childhood was disrupted by cancer. Her life became a roller coaster of intense emotions. Sadly, she lost her leg and, ultimately, faced death. During her illness, we shared difficult times, but also great times celebrating life as Darla grew in faith and joy. She lived in the present (not worrying about her past or future) and was very positive. Darla was a joy to be with because she was joyful!

A fourteen-year-old teen’s life takes an unexpected turn. Will she be able to overcome the obstacles that life throws at her time and time again? Will she be able to battle her demons and not lose herself, or her life, due to the life-altering diagnosis and the darkness that seems to be lurking around every corner that she turns and overcome? Will she be able to live a life of brighter days ahead of her?

Penny Fisher is on vacation with her family when she becomes ill and disoriented. An urgent care facility reads her temperature at 104.5 and sends her by stretcher to the emergency room. There, doctors find nothing wrong, and they send her home. Twenty-four hours later, Penny is on life support and her husband is told to say his goodbyes.

This book explores the untold story of a war veteran's journey with transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment.

From childhood stutterer to inspirational speaker! The Courage to Shine is a powerful and inspirational memoir by Eileen Forrestal, a former anesthesiologist who transformed her life. After a lifetime of "putting people to sleep", Eileen is now in the business of "waking people up" as a writer, speaker, and coach. In The Courage to Shine, Eileen retraces her journey. She shares her childhood trauma of an accidental overdose of junior aspirin that led to her subsequent speech impediment, the embarrassment of which caused her to hide her voice in silent shame.

In this inspiring memoir, Emily Falcon chronicles her lifelong journey with a congenital cardiac condition. In 1982, at seven weeks old, she had a heart attack that destroyed 40 percent of the left side of her heart. This was her entry into a world of multiple cardiac procedures, surgeries, hospitalizations, and a later diagnosis of glaucoma. Balancing these serious conditions defined her life.

A sudden rise in opioid addicts coinciding with a sudden drop in legally available opioids, created a desperation for prescription drugs never seen before in this country. Physicians shut down their previous practice of repeated refills, once the death toll was too high to ignore. As hospitals and rehab facilities instituted drug testing and CORI checks to ensure employees were clean, one health-care option stood alone as a place to easily obtain painkillers. That place was home health care.

Je m'appelle Mason Cyrille Elong Ewing. J'avais à peine 4 ans lorsque ma mère Marie est décédée, laissant derrière elle un petit bout d'homme. Au Cameroun, on m'appelait Toro, j'étais l'enfant au destin fragile. Puis je suis arrivé en France chez mon oncle et ma tante, pour une meilleure vie. On m'avait promis un fabuleux voyage, mais personne ne m'avait précisé que c'était pour l'enfer. J'étais devenu, Lucien, l'esclave.

As a 14-year-old psych ward patient, Harry realized he had a choice: let anorexia keep ruining his life or fight back against everything his mind told him was true. Now 22 years old, Harry delicately pieces together how his mind derailed to that point, what’s happened since he made his choice, and most importantly, what it’s taught him about life and how best to live it.

Why the Cane? is a personal memoir which recounts the true story of a man’s regaining a level of activity he thought would not be possible after a devastating injury. It chronicles his medical journey, the upheaval suffered by his family, and the counsel and support which shifted his focus and provided a framework to make thoughtful decisions for the long term.

Life is difficult for many people who face great dilemmas. For them, life can be a blur. However, this statement will be quite literal when you only put yourself in my shoes. For years now, I have suffered. During my teenage years, I was diagnosed with an untreatable nerve condition that tragically made me lose my sight within a speck of time. Since then, I had to learn and adapt to my new way of living—as a young blind adult.

In Turning Tragedy Into Triumph, Michael Bush fearlessly opens up about his extraordinary battle with both mental health challenges and the harrowing ordeal of fighting and surviving stage 4 cancer. Through gripping honesty and unwavering vulnerability, Bush takes listeners on an emotional rollercoaster, from the depths of despair to the pinnacle of triumph, demonstrating the indomitable human spirit's capacity for resilience and transformation.

Annie and Rolf Lulloff were entering an exciting stage of life in 1976 when the first signs of health issues that lie ahead for Annie began to emerge. A sudden loss of sense of smell, severe anxiety attacks, vision issues, and other neurological challenges piled up, eventually culminating in a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease on New Year’s Eve, 1989. But the Lulloffs were not about to let Parkinson’s get the best of them.

Hilda’s family didn’t know she had muscular dystrophy. They just knew their preschooler was losing her ability to walk. But they were determined to find a cure. Being disabled in Cameroon meant not only obstacles to transport, but visits to diviners and evangelists, threats of sexual assault, discrimination, and a crisis of faith. Despite the hardship Hilda has faced, her family’s unwavering support and God’s unwavering grace have helped her persevere to become a national broadcaster.