Disability Biography

Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, he was dismissed by most people - but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age 13 to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist. He rode an astonishing 400 miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: Disability is not inability. Today, Emmanuel continues to work on behalf of the disabled.

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.

Es ist Nicoles zweiunddreißigster Geburtstag, als sie unter der Dusche steht und sich auf die Feier mit ihren zwei kleinen Kindern und ihrem liebevollen Mann freut. Abrupt wird sie aus ihren Gedanken gerissen, als sie einen Knoten in ihrer Brust ertastet. Eine Welt bricht für sie zusammen. Später stellen die Ärzte die Diagnose, dass in Nicoles Körper nicht nur ein hochaggressiver Tumor wächst, sondern dass sie außerdem dieselbe genetische Vorbelastung wie Angelina Jolie hat. Selbst nach erfolgreicher Therapie, bleibt die Wahrscheinlichkeit einer erneuten Erkrankung enorm hoch.

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.

A Michele La Pusata, dodici anni fa, è stata diagnosticata la Sclerosi laterale amiotrofica, meglio conosciuta come SLA. Prima, la sua era una vita più che normale, tra figli, lavoro e piccole incombenze, poi non lo è stata più. Non si mette mai in conto di affrontare una malattia lenta e invalidante come questa e infatti nessuno è preparato.

A profoundly beautiful memoir about disability, difference, and living as a vulnerable body. Jan Grue had just become a father when he inherited a stack of his childhood medical records. Following a diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy at the age of three, the raft of doctors' notes, clinical descriptions and case histories defined his body as defective and his future as bleak and limited. They conjured a childhood nothing like the one he remembered, that failed to anticipate the life he lived now. "I Live a Life Like Yours" is Grue's beautiful, groundbreaking search for a literary language that could better tell his story.

Essere una donna disabile in un mondo in cui l'immagine femminile appare sempre patinata e perfetta non è facile, ma Antonella Ferrari, attrice e ballerina, malata di sclerosi multipla, non si è mai arresa tanto da diventare un punto di riferimento, una fonte di ispirazione per tante persone meno fortunate. "Mi sono beccata tantissime porte in faccia, tantissime delusioni ma dovevo andare avanti anche per tutti quelli che vivono bloccati per colpa di una malattia."

Type 1 diabetic, fitness fanatic, dancing queen, Canasta champion; only some of the tags used to describe Colleen Ashby. Daughter, sister to five brothers, wife, and mother of three sons further define Colleen. Add to that, she is a heart transplant recipient who is now visually impaired, and you realize there is much more to learn.

In this moving memoir, Joy Clausen Soto vividly brings us into her world. We see her go from her dream job to fighting for her life, and how she is able to come back from it all. You can't avoid falling in love with her quirks, indomitable spirit, and wry sense of humor. Soto takes listeners on a compelling journey as she faces cancer and the challenges she encounters while re-entering "normal" life.

Kelley Jo Burke embarks on a wild journey to understand many things, including the part where her grandfather sort of murdered her grandmother. Returning to a house filled with her first memories of childhood, she begins to explore the complex origins of her own anxiety. Along the way, she reflects on alienation and immigration, mental health and generational trauma, and the nature of memory itself. A memoir filled with raw honesty, comedy, tragedy, and grace.

Just before Christmas in 2012, at age 53, John LeMieux lost his left leg to a recurrence of sarcoma. The unique 20-hour rotationplasty surgery - never done on a man his age - was followed by six months of bed rest. It was only the beginning of years of physical, spiritual, and emotional growth. In this memoir, John recounts the lows and highs of a life forever altered.

An eight-year-old boy survives triple-limb amputation by freight train. One of America’s famous yet untold stories of overcoming the stigma of disability and responding with inspirational resilience. To change your perspective on life, listen now! Boy Interrupted takes the listener on Ricky’s remarkable journey of miraculous survival, the power of kindness, humor, mistakes, post-traumatic growth, and other surprises.

While preparing to deploy with the US Army, Marcus suffered a severe spinal injury that left him paralyzed. After dying on the operating table twice, the surgeons saved his life, but told him he'd never walk again. Having no other option, Marcus started doing some brutally honest soul-searching, looking for the lesson to be learned from his injury. Once he started seeing his adversity as a gift instead of a curse, something miraculous began to happen....

À 35 ans, Hugues réalise qu’il a vécu toute sa vie avec l’autisme (asperger) sans le savoir. Tous ses souvenirs sont à revoir à la lumière de cette nouvelle perspective. Il entreprend d’écrire une autobiographie dans le but de définir son identité, de construire enfin une histoire cohérente avec cette suite de souvenirs qui n’avaient jamais fait de sens.

Waste no day to achieve the impossible! When Pennsylvania started testing newborns for metabolic diseases, Adam Settle was one of the first to be diagnosed with Cobalamin-C Deficiency. Legally blind and mentally delayed, Adam never let his limitations hold him back from accomplishing his dreams. His love for people and his desire to help others comes through the sections of this audiobook. Whatever has been holding you back, this audiobook will help you charge through the obstacles you face to achieve the impossible. Adam’s story will inspire, encourage, and give you hope.

Jan Grue was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy at the age of three. Shifting between specific periods of his life - his youth with his parents and sister in Norway; his years of study in Berkeley, St. Petersburg, and Amsterdam; and his current life as a professor, husband, and father - he intersperses these histories with elegant, astonishingly wise reflections on the world, social structures, disability, loss, relationships, and the body: in short, on what it means to be human.

On July 4th, 2013, Connor Sparrowhawk, also known as Laughing Boy or LB, was found dead in a specialist NHS unit. Connor, who had autism and epilepsy, had a seizure while in the bath, and no member of staff was on hand to stop him from drowning. An entirely preventable death. Sara Ryan presents a frank, sometimes funny and touching account of her son's early life and preventable death and the unfolding #JusticeforLB campaign.

They say if you want to make God smile, tell him you have a plan. Dwight’s plan was to live his dream, teach math, coach football, and build a comfortable life for himself. Fate had other things in store for him. The story of Dwight’s physical and emotional journey from life as an able-bodied young man chasing his dreams only to have his world turned upside down by the thoughtless act of a 71-year-old drunk driver.

In No Bad Days, JT details the incredible story of how he overcame what seemed like insurmountable odds and shares the many invaluable lessons he has learned throughout his life in the hope that others might reach their full potential. These lessons include how to: find your tribe, pull off the label, stretch yourself, listen to others, and learn to fall. JT’s improbable life story is evidence that regardless of the mental and physical challenges you might face, you can defy the odds to create the life you want and accomplish the things you’ve only dreamed about.