Disability Memoir

Run To The Fire is the exhilarating true story of the incredible life of Rick Collins. A Vietnam veteran whose body was maimed by battle, Rick returned home to extreme tragedy and loss. An unlikely superhero, he blazed a standard of endurance, faithfulness, and sacrifice to be emulated.

Bill Rush lived with a significant disability of quadriplegic cerebral palsy. He did not have use of his arms, hands, or voice. Society’s prejudices proved to be a greater obstacle than his disability in attaining his first life goal of completing college. Rush chronicled his extraordinary life from childhood until graduation from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln in Journey Out of Silence, first published in 1986. This second edition brings back into print Bill's original chronicle. It also contains an introduction to Our Life Our Way, the sequel.

Many people give up on God. It’s easy to trust in his goodness and strength when life is easy. But how do we persevere in our faith when life gets hard? Few people can show us how to do that better than Allan Schwartz.

In Trust the Dog, the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation introduces listeners to a group of extraordinary people who, thanks to their guide dogs, flourish in a world that assumes the ability to see. Among them are a brother and sister who lost their sight at a very young age and whose dogs essentially helped them grow up, a Serbian girl who fled civil war to find new hope in America, and a newly blind single father determined to keep his family together against all odds.

This powerful, honest, hilarious and furious memoir from journalist and advocate Lucy Webster looks at life at the intersection; the struggles, the joys and the unseen realities of being a disabled woman. From navigating the worlds of education and work, dating and friendship; to managing care; contemplating motherhood; and learning to accept your body against a pervasive narrative that it is somehow broken and in need of fixing, The View From Down Here shines a light on what it really means to move through the world as a disabled woman.

How do you build a life when all that you know is changing? How do you conceive of love when you can no longer recognise those who mean the most to you? A phenomenal memoir, Somebody I Used to Know is both a heart-rending tribute to the woman Wendy Mitchell once was, and a brave affirmation of the woman dementia has seen her become.

This memoir combines the drastic losses which occur due to severe episodic memory deficits with the greater agency currently afforded to all of us as made capable via ingenuity and technology. In this book memory loss is considered within the present-day environment of novel solutions heretofore unimaginable. All of us may never need to worry about recalling key life events ever again.

A journal-style book of what it's like to live with mental illness. Everyone is different, but this is how I experience mental illness every day.

Kathleen O’Neill courageously chronicles her journey through the turbulent realms of bipolar disorder, addiction, and recovery. With raw honesty and resilience, Kathleen shares the battles she fought within herself and against social stigmas, laying bare her struggles, triumphs, and the moments of grace that shaped her healing. This memoir offers a compelling look at the complex layers of mental health , the strength of the human spirit, and the transformative power of hope.

Andrea struggles to mourn a man who is still alive as she witnesses her father decline into the depths of Alzheimer's. Denial and devastation color her life when she learns her father, Richard, a recently retired surgeon, is diagnosed with Alzheimer's at the age of 67. Her dream to grow closer to him is crushed as the reality of his disease is fully realized. Andrea, a mother of three young children, learns to balance motherhood with daughterhood as she grapples to accept her father's fate.

Klim's journey to greatness began behind the Iron Curtain, in communist-era Poland. His family made a bid for freedom in the 1980s and immigrated to Australia, where swimming became his passport into a new culture and eventually led him to become one of his adopted country's great sporting heroes. His crowning moment came at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where he captured the hearts of millions with his gold medal performances and world record-breaking swims. But being a champion athlete does not come without personal challenges.

Living with multiple sclerosis was never going to be easy. The phrase 'I rule it, it doesn't rule me' was to become Lydia's benchmark. She clung fiercely to these words. They would booster her strength in the years ahead when at times, fear of the pain and its affects, especially the horrendous agony of an MS attack, would almost break her.

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?

Treatment for anxiety all too often includes medication—but at what cost to the patient? After struggling with a lifetime of clinical anxiety, author and artist Lenny Gallo was confronted with the decision to try medication to help manage his symptoms. The medication did not work as expected and caused a misunderstood and often misdiagnosed movement disorder.

Paralyzed from polio at 18 months, Judy Heumann began her struggle for equality early in life. From fighting to attend grade school after being described as a 'fire hazard' to later winning a lawsuit against the New York City school system for denying her a teacher's license, to leading the section 504 sit-in that led to the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Judy's actions set a precedent that fundamentally improved rights for disabled people around the globe.

"If you can dream it, you can do it!" - das ist bei Oliver Brünner keine Floskel. Dabei sah im Leben des heute erfolgreichen Speakers eigentlich alles ganz anders aus. Noch während seiner Geburt zieht sich die Nabelschnur seiner Mutter wie eine Schlinge um seinen Hals, weswegen er fortan mit einer spastischen Tetraparese lebt. Doch Oliver trotzt den vermeintlichen Widrigkeiten und kann heute auf einen Lebensweg zurückblicken, den dem schon früh als "Sorgenkind" titulierten Jungen wohl niemand zugetraut hätte. Seine Geheimwaffe: das Träumen.

As a neurodivergent child in a hundred-year-old house, Zaji Cox collects grammar books, second-hand toys, and sightings of feral cats. She dances and cartwheels through self-discovery and doubt, guided by her big sister and their devoted single mother. Through short essays that evoke the abundant imagination of childhood, Plums for Months explores the challenges of growing up mixed race and low-income on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon.

Hall is authentic, transparent, and raw as she shares the many facets of her dynamic life and colorful personality. The chapters are like peeling an onion as Hall deftly delivers the most dismal times of her life. Listeners will experience so many emotions but will ultimately cheer for Hall’s escape, redemption, and power to rebuild a successful life. She credits her beloved 93-year-old grandmother's unconditional love and wisdom for giving her the endurance and strength to overcome all that life has dealt her.

This collection of poems was written from the day the author was sent to the emergency room through her first phase of radiation and chemotherapy treatment. Christina uses poetry to share her lived experience as a teacher, a patient, a psychologist, and a neurodivergent person. Kiss Your Brain: Diagnosis Diaries shares poems that fit under the categories of “on beautiful brains", “on resilience", and “on renewal".

An eye-opening wife’s journal which speaks about an amazing and unbelievable traumatic brain injury adventure. Written with love, respect, and humor, this is a must-listen for anyone who wants to know about a TBI survivor’s daily routine.