Misadventures of a Happy Heart: A Memoir of Life Beyond Disability

(Paperback)

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Misadventures of a Happy Heart: A Memoir of Life Beyond Disability starts with the tingling of Amy Quincys lips. Only a few months later, the tangle of blood vessels at the base of her brain bursts, triggering a life-altering hemorrhagic brain injury. Amys life as she knew it is over. And her futurethe massage therapy business she built, the adventures she planned, the home life she imaginedbecomes a distant veil.

Fortunately, Amys sly humor and tenacious attitude is just whats needed to deal with months of rehab and coming to terms with not only what shes lost, but whats shes gained. Amys keen insight reveals the truth about how people react to those with disabilities. In this unflinching memoir she shares what aggravates and hurts her, the moments of genuine connection and understanding, as well as the hilarious mishaps that make her the unintended heroine of her own sitcom. Follow along as she wipes out an entire display of Rice-a-Roni in the grocery store with her motorized cart. Or as Amy the responsible pet walker attempts to maneuver the dreaded plastic bag with the use of one arm, all the while struggling with a pup who enjoys making a cats cradle out of his leash. Then theres the first time she helped herself to ice cream and wound up covering herself and the kitchen floor in Dibs. Slowly, through it all, a new life emerges, one stripped bare of pretense and taken-for-granted expectations. An unexpected life. A life Amy never asked for,but a good one in spite of everything.

Misadventures of a Happy Heart: A Memoir of Life Beyond Disabilityis a wake-up call that shows the rest of us how to find the courage to face whatever fate flings our wayand to do it with moxie.Its a bridge for the 43 million disabled people in the U.S. and their 52 million caregiving family members and friends. Its for those who are profoundly impacted by disability, as well as for all of us who love to read stories that break stereotypes.

Amy shows us how to dig deep to find that were capable of so much more, even when life throws a whammy into our plans. She challenges how we see ourselves and others, disabled or not. Amys story is fresh and relevant. This is no sappy memoir. Misadventures of a Happy Heart: A Memoir of Life Beyond Disabilitywill have you smiling on page one and laughing by page three. Readers tumble into Amys world to find angels in rehab disguised as nurses and physical therapists, and a family not unlike our ownwith more flaws and idiosyncrasies than a therapists waiting room. After facing the challenges of learning to speak and manage a wheelchair, Amy announces she plans to live independently and writeeven though she has severe ataxia and only partial use of one hand.

In Misadventures of a Happy Heart: A Memoir of Life Beyond Disabilitywe meet Amys less than typical, her in recovery lesbian mother and Frankie, Moms pooch who offers the best kind of comfort and much-needed comic relief at every turn. The reader is drawn into a world that is both refreshing and familiarfamily angst and hilarity, clueless doctors, endearing strangers, hapless friends and the sweet everyday joys and setbacks that give life its rich texture. Written in short chapters, Misadventures of a Happy Heart: A Memoir of Life Beyond Disability is both educational and entertaining. Amy is brave enough and honest enough to let us in, really in. To show us that were not so different after all. Misadventures of a Happy Heart: A Memoir of Life Beyond Disability is so much more than a book about a traumatic event. Its about a kick-ass life.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Informal Caregiving: Compassion in Action. Washington, DC: 1998, and National Family Caregivers Association, Random Sample Survey of Family Caregivers, Summer 2000, Unpublished

Author Bio

Amy Quincy earned a B.A. in English with a creative writing emphasis from Florida State University in 1992. She worked in several different corporate positions and massage therapy until 2006, when a stroke forced her to do something she now says she should have done a long time ago--commit to writing full-time. Amy has been published in Skirt!, Talking Writing, Fiction Fix, People of Few Words, Kaleidoscope, and Sasee. Amy lives in Jacksonville, Florida with Bella, a persnickety kitty and Frankie, a Pekingese who monopolizes her time and is always up for a walk. Visit Amy at www.amyfquincy.wordpress.com