Disability Biography

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.

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.

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.

For many years, Jeffrey Demitrack searched for a meaningful and fulfilling relationship and, most of all, hoped that one day he would find a significant other who understood and unconditionally accepted his struggles with epilepsy. People have their insecurities, and relationships already are hard without throwing seizures into the mix, so his search has been a challenging one.

A revelatory collection of essays on the DeafBlind experience, and a manifesto on the power and untapped potential of touch. Born Deaf into an ASL-speaking family and blind by adolescence, John Lee Clark learned to embrace the possibilities of his tactile world. He is on the frontlines of the Protactile movement, which gave birth to an unprecedented tactile language and a way of life based on physical connection.

My life has been nothing short of a miracle. A true triumph, even in the midst of adversity. In Deaf Blind Champion, I give you a front-row seat into how my life changed when I heard my diagnosis, and what I did to get through the depression that engulfed me to become an accomplished sportsman, a dad, life partner, son, brother, teammate, and activist.

Cancer is cancer. Chemo is chemo. Right? That's what Mel thought before she received her diagnosis. But she quickly found out she had a lot to learn! From bird poo to shingles, Aunt Sally to burnt boob, and too many other "special joys" to mention: Who knew?

Johann König verliert als Kind durch einen Unfall fast vollständig seine Sehkraft. Wie kann man sich Kunst erschließen, wenn man sich auf seine Augen nicht verlassen kann? Was ist Sehen überhaupt, wenn die Welt um einen herum verschwimmt? In seinem Buch "Blinder Galerist" beschreibt Johann König, wie es ihm gelang, die Welt und die Kunst neu wahrzunehmen. "Die Bilder, die im Kopf entstehen, sind genauso wichtig wie die Bilder an der Wand".

Like many of us, James Lindsay is no stranger to stress and anxiety. But in his case, leaving those struggles untreated led to a full psychotic episode that hospitalized him for the better part of a month. With the help of medication and therapy, he has now overcome this dark period and is currently living a much happier life.

What do you do when your reality slips away? If you're Sky Yardley and Jane Dwinell, you accept each new challenge, reshape your life, and write. When Sky was diagnosed with "probable early stage Alzheimer's" at age 66, he was determined to live as fully as possible. He researched dementia, talked about dementia, connected with other people with the disease, and wrote about it.

Inizia con un formicolio nella parte destra del corpo. E una strana stanchezza. L’equilibrio che si fa precario. Quando, mesi dopo i primi sintomi, arriva la diagnosi di sclerosi multipla, Marco ha trent’anni e una carriera da tenore appena avviata. Come gestire i concerti e le audizioni in giro per il mondo senza sapere come ci si sveglierà domani? Marco mantiene segreta la sua nuova, scomoda compagna di viaggio. Almeno fino al 2013, quando, nella prima apparizione di Sintomi di felicità, decide di rivelarla al mondo.

Was zählt wirklich im Leben? Zuhören! Moderator und Youtube-Star Leeroy Matata teilt seine Erfahrungen mit uns. Hey Freunde, herzlich willkommen! Mein Name ist Leeroy und ich freue mich, dass ihr euch dieses Hörbuch gerade anschaut. Denn hier spreche ich so offen wie noch nie über das, was mich bewegt. Wir alle machen unterschiedliche Erfahrungen, die uns oft ein Leben lang prägen. Und niemand von uns kann in den Kopf anderer Leute schauen, deshalb führt das oft zu Missverständnissen. Aber das muss nicht so sein.

Jeremy Schreiber was on top of the world—athletic, newly married, successful. And then something went terribly wrong. In this moving memoir, he shares his journey after he received a terrifying diagnosis: ALS. As the devastating disease robbed him of movement and speech, he was abandoned by his wife and betrayed by a society that shuns people with disabilities. But it’s not all doom and gloom. He found love, support, and a powerful purpose. While fighting for his independence and then for his life, Jeremy gave his all to the ALS and disability communities.

In Parkinson's & Recreation 2, Dennis shares ways in which he and his wife are traversing the progression of PD and is first and foremost a written legacy he is attempting to leave for his family. As a part of this attempt, Dennis has gone on a journey of uncovering his family roots. What would you feel if you discovered Viking kings in your lineage? What would you feel if you uncovered the mystery of how the Jernigan line was woven throughout the fabric of English nobility? What would such revelations mean for you and your family?

L'inizio di questa storia è un incrocio nel bel mezzo di Tripoli, più che un incrocio, un'auto con un parabrezza rotto ferma a un incrocio dopo un incidente. A bordo della macchina un uomo e una donna, un padre e una madre, prima erano in tre, solo che la figlia poco più che neonata è stata sbalzata fuori dall'abitacolo e ha impattato contro un albero. Comincia così il racconto della vita di Nagla Augelli, bambina tunisina abbandonata dalla famiglia in un orfanotrofio della sua città, dopo che un incidente di auto l'ha resa paraplegica.

After a catastrophic ski accident left him permanently paralyzed from the waist down, Jason not only had to relearn basic tasks like dressing and bathing but also had to wrestle with the harder questions: why do bad things happen? If God is good and powerful, why does he allow suffering? And how does one cope with suffering, which in one way or another visits us all?

Operated on as an infant, without anesthesia, Wendy P. Williams began life at war with her body. There were tubes everywhere, in and out of every opening, her mother reminded her on every anniversary of her surgery. Autobiography of a Sea Creature takes listeners on Williams’ difficult sensory journey toward healing, as she communes along the way with horseshoe crabs, dolphins, and other marine life that taught her the restorative power of beauty, resilience, and interdependence.

"Dandelion Roots Run Deep" is the true story of three generations of tenacious Midwestern women, one in Illinois and two in Michigan. Merry is the third generation, and her mother Merrill, fought for organic agriculture and Michigan's environment from 1967 - 2009. Merrill developed Alzheimer's before finishing her book, so Merry took her story to fruition.

In January 2016, life took an unexpected turn for Marilyn Miller Lowry when a stroke abruptly had her asking those questions—and more. In the years since, Lowry examined her life and made dramatic changes that opened up more possibilities than she ever imagined. Grateful to be able to author A Stroke of Magic, Lowry uses her background as a counselor to share candid observations of the trauma that comes with unexpected physical disability.

When Ellie Goldstein was first diagnosed with Down Syndrome, her mother was soon told that her new-born would amount to nothing. For 21 years and counting, Ellie Goldstein has been defying the odds and overcoming every hardship thrown at her. Told she wouldn't walk, Ellie has danced on mainstages. Told she wouldn't learn, she has gained a college education. And told not to dream, Ellie has gone on to become the first model with Down Syndrome to be photographed for Gucci and continues to change the face of fashion from the inside out in countless international campaigns.