BECOMING COMFORTABLY NUMB

<p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>As a young mother on maternity leave from her rewarding government agency job Cathy Allard was immersed in the joys of bonding with her three-month-old daughter. She and her husband Jean-Pierre anticipated a bright and exciting future for their precious family. Then in an instant it all came crashing down.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>At just age 27 Cathy had a stroke.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>As she lay in hospital with the right side of her body numb and immobilized she was gripped by fear guilt and an expanding feeling of despair. How would she ever be able to properly care for her daughter? Would her disabilities prevent her from ever working again? Were failure and disappointment now her destiny?</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>In </span><em style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Becoming Comfortably Numb: A Memoir on Brain-Mending</em><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)> Cathy shares the inspiring story of her decades-long journey to rise above those dark days right after her 1984 stroke and through the setback of a second more damaging stroke six years later. As she describes it her memoir traces her biggest struggles and greatest triumphs - from sobbing in a wheelchair all the way to climbing the Acropolis.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Motivated by her love of family and determination to be the best mother she could be - and with the help of her husband and daughter scores of dedicated healthcare professionals and supportive employers - Cathy charted a path to fulfillment.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Along the way she learned new ways of managing daily tasks to accommodate being differently abled gained knowledge about the brain's incredible ability to 'rewire' itself and was able to continue her satisfying communications career for many years.</span></p><p><br></p><p><em style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Becoming Comfortably Numb </em><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>offers inspiration and practical advice for people living with or caring for someone with disabilities or chronic health issues as well as guidance for all of us seeking to find the determination and resilience to meet and overcome life's challenges.</span></p>