My Unexpected Life

<p><strong style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)><em>A refreshing coming-of-age memoir exploring young love college and careers while navigating a progressing disability.-Independent Book Review</em></strong></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Jennifer Gasner is seventeen when her dreams are shattered overnight.</strong></p><p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Receiving a diagnosis of Friedreich's ataxia a rare genetic neuromuscular disease means she must prepare herself for a life of loss. When she starts college she can still walk on her own but as her disease progresses she spirals further into sadness denial and alienation. She turns to alcohol and a toxic relationship to distract her from what she refuses to accept-that her body her self-esteem and her hope for her future are failing.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>When Jennifer develops a friendship with rock star Dave Matthews her outlook changes. She begins to understand that using a wheelchair doesn't mean her life is over. In fact when she discovers disability culture she realizes it's not her body that needs to be fixed but her assumptions about being disabled.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>In her captivating memoir </span><em style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>My Unexpected Life: Finding Balance Beyond My Diagnosis</em><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)> Jennifer invites you into her world where she must learn to view her changing body with compassion and choose gratitude over anger as she finds strength and acceptance in a whole new way of moving through life.</span></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)><em>Hollywood Book Festival Awards</em></strong><em style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)> Honorable Mention for biography/autobiography</em></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(36 36 36 1)><em>Notable 100 Book</em></strong><em style=color: rgba(36 36 36 1)> 2023 Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition</em></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(36 36 36 1)><em>Gold Book Award</em></strong><em style=color: rgba(36 36 36 1)> Literary Titan</em></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(36 36 36 1)><em>April 2024 Author of the Month</em></strong><em style=color: rgba(36 36 36 1)> San Diego Central Library</em></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(36 36 36 1)><em>Red Ribbon</em></strong><em style=color: rgba(36 36 36 1)> The Wishing Shelf Book Awards</em></p>