THE AUTHOR

I am a C-5 quadriplegic, paralyzed with no movement or sensation from my chest to my toes, only partial use of my arms, and no voluntary movement in my hands and fingers. I eat with a brace, drink through a straw, type with a stick strapped to my right hand, and pee through a rubber tube. I’m happy and sad, sick and well, strong and weak, and—of course—I’m in denial. When asked my ultimate goal regarding this volume, I didn’t even have to think about my answer. “I want something I can leave behind for my nieces, proof that I once lived on this earth, and that I might have actually meant something to somebody while I was here.”