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 I was born on July 27, 1966 in the capital city of Winnipeg in the Prairie Province of Manitoba. My family and I were soon to find out that I would never have a so called normal life.
My interest in writing came to me inborn as was my ability to draw. I used writing as a means of understanding the harsh world around me. See I and many of the children I met in Elementary School had chronic illnesses that did not have cures. Many of my peers died before my eyes and went with more courage than a person can imagine. These boys were my warriors on survival, and they taught me in their short lives and death all that I would need to carry on with my own journey.
I began writing at age 8 and have continued until this day. I write what I know and what I learned about life experiences.
By the time I was in junior high(grade 7) laws changed and children/teens/young adults with disabilities where integrated into mainstream schools. I jumped at the opportunity to receive an academic education. I had worked very hard to get a full scholorship to university, and received one in Commerce at U of M. Graduating in 1985 I took a job at Workplace Safety and Health for the summer prior.
As life would have it, my personal plans where different then destiny would have. Late that summer I ended up on a portable respirator and had to fight for my freedom to have a life again. After 2.5 years of lobbying and debating with government officials, I won and was able to continue my journey.
I ended up taking Business Administration at Red River Community College. During and following College I had various term positions at North American Life Assurance, the ILRC,where it did various admistration type jobs.I also worked at Klinic, a community health centre, where I did one on one crisis councelling. I do pencil and charcoal portraits as a hobby and to relax. Music has always been a key connection to my artistic skills.
I have been told many times by friends and aquaintences alike that I would make a great councellor and that I should also write a book. The People that have read some of my writing and poetry told me that I have a way of making people feel like they are right there in the scene.
Only now do I feel I am ready to explore the area of getting my writing published. I and many friends feel that my writing could offer a unique perspective on the nature of life. I hope that opportunity will find me again.
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MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
- At age 14 I did an interview to be entered in a chapter of a book called The Positive Path - Profiles of Disabled Manitobans, The Council for Exceptional Children. It was done in 1981 during the International Year of Disabled Persons.
- I was invited to be interviewed for a youth TV show called What's New in 1981 as well. They interviewed me on what it was like being integrated into a regular school.
- In 1988 and 1989 I was invited to do many puplic speeches for various organizations about independant living, managing your own support system, and as a peer support to others that are just learning to accept their new life on a respirator. Places like the goverment Community Homecare Department, Respiratory Teaching Department, various government officials,and the Independant Living Resource Centre.
- In 1992 I was invited to be a part of a presentation at the Internationl Conference held in Vancouver, B.C. Where I spoke to an audiance of 500 people from all over the world. I was asked many questions about my journey to freedom and what it was like to live with a respirator.
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MY NEWS:
Presently I am very focused on my writing, and have completed a inspirational short story. I am planning to submit it to Reader's Digest and entering it into a writing contest Writer's Digest Magazine. I have a few poems that I wrote that I will post. I have been working on a book and have begun to do the long process of putting it together.
Joining this site I hope to get some expossure and discover whether there is an interest for my style of writing.
As of late June of 2004, I recieved notice from an international Poetry contest I entered. I made it to the semi-finals and shall hear the outcome this coming September, 2004
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MY FAVORITE LINKS:
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MY RESIDENCE INFO:
City: Winnipeg
State/Country: Canada
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BOOKS PUBLISHED:
I have not published a book as of yet but here is a sample of one of things I write about. It is a idea I have for a novel, inspired by a dream I had.
I approached the large stone Manor. I am mesmerized by its grandeur. The windows are six feet high, and the foliage that borders the dirt-winding sidewalk was thick, and went right to the large double oak doors. There was only one step up, and a large brass oddly shaped doorknocker.
I am aware of three things. One that I am in someone else’s mind or consciousness. Who is not aware I am there. Two that she is visiting a dear friend that she feels is in great danger. She comes under the pretence of viewing Lori’s wedding dress, and to discuss her further arrangements. She is also very anxious to see Lori’s son. Although she wasn’t quite fully sure, why she was frightened for him. She thought seeing him would answer her worries. She was aware that Lori’s Fiancée was at home too. And for some reason unknown to me, she felt it important that he isn’t aware of her ulterior motives. Personally, I am a little nervous to meet him. There is something about him that almost frightens me, but I shrug it off, for I have more important reasons to be there, and Andrea too.
Taking a deep breath, she knocks. A few moments go by, and no answer. Testing the lever on the gargantuan door, it clicks and surprisingly opens rather easily. Walking into the dimly lit hallway I see a narrow long hardwood floor, that opens up into a grandly sunlit foyer, where she knew the beautifully hand carved oak, staircase that lead to the upper levels. The balcony on the second floor extended the length of the Foyer, with the elegantly curved stairway at the right end of the room. Very little furniture was on the first floor. Only two wooden upholstered chairs in the foyer, with a few tall lush green plants in the corners of the room.
Half way down the narrow hallway, Andrea sees the double sliding doors to the sitting room on the right. The doors are about half a foot open, and very pale light is coming from within. Suddenly she and I are aware that he is in that room. Her heart flutters, as does mine. For a moment she thinks, “Maybe I can walk casually by pretending not to notice him there. After all, why didn’t he get up to answer the door? Obviously, he’s not in the mood for company.”
Andrea already knew what room her dear friend would be in. So, she passed the doorway her curiosity and mine got the better of us. Even though the glance was a split second, we both managed to see him lying on the couch (that didn’t appear to go with the decor. He was wearing a checked lumberjack style jacket (black and red I think) and dark pants, maybe black jeans.
Just as we thought the coast was clear Todd gabbed Andrea by the arm, rather firmly I might add. It startled both of us, I almost gave myself away, and Andréa let out a stifled scream.
“ Oh Todd” she exclaims, all breathy and flushed, she said, “I didn’t think anyone was down here, because nobody answered the door bell.” “Lori is expecting me”, she exclaimed, as she pulled away from his grip and scurried down the hall to the staircase. Just before she pulled away, he looked intently into her eyes as if he was aware of my presence. I did my best to pull back my thoughts, just long enough for Andrea to escape.
Now she was happy again as she rounded the corner of the second floor hallway. Her mind completely forgot about the strange behaviour of Todd. I did not, it was quite unsettling. I had the distinct feeling we were walking into disaster.
Lori came bursting out of the second room on the right, with a cellophane wrapped garment. Very bulky looking must be her wedding dress, I thought. “Andrea!” she called, “You made it! Did you have trouble finding me?”
“Oh, it wasn’t that bad, I just made one wrong turn, but one of your neighbours led me here. Some older white guy”, Andrea replied.
Oh yea, that was Mr Green. He usually is nosy, Lori laughed, at least this time it was helpful.
Anyway, Lori interrupted as she led Andrea back into the room she was just leaving.” Let’s go take a look-see. She smiled as she entered right behind her, kind of gently pushing her into the room, and closing the over sized door behind her. They began chatting and giggling like schoolgirls, while I could not get my mind off wanting to see her adopted son, to make sure he was o.k.
All of sudden I was in the hallway, and heading to what I felt was his room. Just as I was about to enter, I could hear voices, a child and someone else. I heard banging and things being over turned, glass shattered, and a bright light shown from all around the door frame. As I rushed into the room, a gust of wind exploded all around me.
Suddenly I felt a tremendous fear for the boy, and he was nowhere in the room. The noise got Andrea’s and Lori’s attention, and they came running out of the room down the hall and stood in the doorway. Andrea yelled, where’s Michael? Lori screamed in a panic as she looked everywhere in his rather large bedroom. It even had an arched doorway in his room that led to his play area, and table and chairs. There where three large windows in the whole room, two in the bed area, and one bay window with a window seat in it in the play area. The white shear curtains were bellowing out the open windows. And the bright light had vanished, just like Michael.
I had an extreme desire to be with Michael, and there was another flash of light, and suddenly I was within Michael, feeling his terror at what was happening to him. He was being restrained by a force field. He was in some sort of small chamber that didn’t even allow him to squirm. It was quite claustrophobic.
He was a frail small blond boy of about 9 years of age. All he could see was straight up, since the chamber was lying on a metal table on his back. There was a very small window were his eyes and nose are. There was a red glowing light outside the chamber.
I did my best to calm the boy down. Telling him, we would save him.
Just then, two faces appeared above the little window. They were not human. Two 7-foot tall beings, with long bony hands, wearing red glistening garments. They spoke to one another, I could hear them, but their mouths were not moving. With great horror I realised what they where saying. One of them had some kind of scanning device. He said, “ Hey this one has got high kinetic energy readings, he goes with us.” Panic ran through me like ice as I realised that in my effort to protect him and not let him out of my site, I had inadvertently sealed his fate. I screamed with a sinking remorse as I said, “No it’s me there sensing not him.” With another flash, I vanished, from him.
Next, I was with a woman on a small rowboat, and I was in the body of a small girl of about six. The dark haired woman was telling me not to pull on or fight the breathing apparatus. Suddenly I was aware that this was not my world, there was a yellow gas everywhere hanging in the air, and the foliage did not look like anything I had seen before. And I became frighteningly aware that this breathing device was a living creature. It had tentacles and one that went all the way down into her lungs. I had the sensation that her throat was dry and a little soar, because she did not like the feeling either. Although she didn’t seem as freaked out about it as I did. The woman was taking her to safety, and I had the feeling there was more people on her side. She did not seem scared either, just determined.
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