As a child, I had always wondered why I couldn’t throw a ball on target or why I tended to walk with a forward-leaning gait. But I was thirty-three when I first felt that something was wrong. After being rear-ended by a drunk driver, my symptoms became more noticeable. My right shoulder was aching, and in general, my right side just felt different from my left. An MRI showed a ruptured ligament, a protruding disc, and there were signs of something else . . .Tenacity is the true s

Barefoot running has garnered lots of attention due to the mega-bestseller Born to Run while products like the Vibram® FiveFinger Shoes have tripled in sales and top athletic companies like Nike® and Adidas® are declaring barefoot running the next big thing. However, barefoot running involves more than simply taking off your shoes and hitting the track and Barefoot Running Step by Step teaches runners how to train their feet and body to run barefoot properly and in a way that will dramatic...

'This haunting story, penned by a master wordsmith, is a reminder to savor every loved one and every day.' BooklistIndie Next Pick "For Reading Groups"From New York Times bestselling author Joyce Maynard, a memoir about discovering strength in the midst of great loss--"heart wrenching, inspiring, full of joy and tears and life." (Anne Lamott)In 2011, when she was in her late fifties, beloved author...

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Shift comes a frank look at navigating the world of healthcare as a cancer nurse becomes a patient and experiences the system from the other side.Despite her training and years of experience as an oncology and hospice nurse, Brown finds it difficult to navigate the medical maze from the other side of the bed. Why is she so often left in the dark about procedures and treatments? Why is she expected ...

"A heartbreaking story, exquisitely told . . . Laurie Strongin's integrity, humanity, and wisdom are an inspiration to the rest of us." -- David Shenk, author of The ForgettingSaving Henry is the eye-opening and inspiring story of how far a family will go to save the life of their child. Laurie Strongin's son Henry was born with a heart condition that was operable, but which proved to be a precursor for a rare, almost-always fatal illness: Fanconi anemia. Deciding...

Can a body turn against itself and still find the strength to laugh?At just seven years old, Brenda Currey Lewis was an active, typical child. But in the summer of 1974, her trajectory changed forever when a sudden, baffling neurological invader took hold of her muscles. Diagnosed with generalized dystonia—a rare and debilitating movement disorder that forces muscle groups to twist, tug, and lock the body into abnormal postures—Brenda was wheelchair-bound within a single year. For ...

A yoga teacher's wise, witty memoir about life and near-death: "In a world full of new-age nonsense, Michael is a true gem." —Jessica Biskind, MA, LPCMichael Harris has had his ups and downs in life. There were a few big falls, like losing more than half of his liver in an accident at twelve years old, becoming an alcoholic by sixteen—endangering what was left of that liver—and nearly losing his legs from vascular disease at twenty-seven. But once Michael gets you ...

In 1983, John Ball was almost at a midpoint in his lifea time to assess the first half before he carried on with the second. It was then that he had to deal with the diagnosis of Parkinsons disease, just before he turned forty years old. In this memoir, Ball narrates his story of how he has lived with Parkinsons disease and how he has worked to create a better life for others struggling with difficult diagnoses and debilitating diseases.Living Well, Running Hard offers ins...

This is a gut wrenching true story and memoir of a brilliant, witty, humorous, and tenacious UCLA Geriatrician who had his life and relationships challenged through Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease (IPD). His illness began as a vague foot tingling and progressed to the full blown , progressive, and mind boggling illness. Many an individual and hundreds of physicians would have given up. Lost income, abandonment, aloneness, loss of multiple jobs, and faculty appointments challenged his career...

My name is Niki Rellon, and I’m a trained chef, a paramedic, a boxing and kickboxing champion, a ski instructor, and a motivational speaker. I’m also the first woman to have hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine on a prosthetic leg. I was born in Germany, but I’m a U.S. citizen now. Shortly after I came to America, I logged more than 15,000 miles on my bicycle as I rode from Alaska to Mexico City, from the west coast to the east coast, from Key West to New York City. In 2006, I...

Robert Buren thought he had it all: a loving family, a great career, and an ambitious future. But all this was thrown into doubt one day in the woods when he experienced a life-altering accident. Robert had to learn how to rebuild his life and recover his dreams from a new perspective: sitting in a wheelchair afflicted with chronic neuropathic pain.Robert's epic journey involves adversity, heartache, and tragedy. But his positive mindset and philosophy of life helped him adjust to ...

On January 3, 1987, teenager Vaughn Ripley receives what seems to be a death sentence. A lifelong hemophiliac, he has been infused with tainted blood and is found to be HIV+. In this memoir, Ripley not only recounts his life living with severe physical ailments, but also details his fight to live. Survivor follows him as he receives his fateful news and examines how this single piece of information pushes the innocent boy headlong into a hard life of drugs and alcohol. After sever...