My Story:
Everybody has a story. Being a big documentary fan and having read so many biographies and memoirs over the years, (and finally working on my own!), I have no doubt about that.
Here are just a few elements of my own:
Around the World in a Wheelchair:
I absolutely love to travel. I love exploring new cultures, meeting new people and experiencing things I never would be able to at home. I've been all across Canada, road trips across the states to California and down to Florida; Bermuda, Australia, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, England, France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Italy.
Giving Back:
Some of my earliest memories involve going with my mom to her various volunteer activities, from Meals On Wheels, to the local YWCA Consignment Shop, to reading books on tape for university students and book lovers who were blind and for whatever reason didn't use braille. I have been so lucky throughout my life to be the recipient of help in so many capacities; I am compelled to give back. My own volunteer work ranges from writing and publishing interest group newsletters to sitting on Boards of Directors, to organizing events, to handing out information at trade fairs. Some of the places I volunteer with include:
Disabled Sailing Association Ontario--companion sailing, managing website and social media content, promoting the organization at the Toronto International Boat Show.
Editors Canada--speaker coordinator for the 2015 annual conference, member of the Student Relations Committee to build membership through awareness of the organization to editors in training, promoting Editors Canada at Word on the Street Toronto.
Lion's Foundation of Canada Dog Guides--raising funds in the annual Walk for Dog Guides.
University of Toronto Physical Therapy Department--hosting physical therapy students in my home to talk to them about and demonstrate the realities of living with a physical disability.
Books I Love:
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Ragged Company by Richard Wagamese (R.I.P.)
September by Rosamunde Pilcher
Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
We All Love the Beautiful Girls by Joanne Proulx
Movies I Love:
Let's just get this out of the way first...just about all of George Clooney's movies!
Babel
Brokeback Mountain
Castaway
Chocolat
Dunkirk
The Grand Budapest Hotel
La La Land
Little Miss Sunshine
Manchester by the Sea
Notting Hill
The Princess Bride
Stronger
My Bucket List: more travel (Ethiopia, Austria, Italy…), edit for Readers Digest, learn to speak Italian, write my memoirs, see a concert at Red Rocks, meet and get a selfie with Rob Thomas
What Makes Me Tick: traveling, reading, movies, sailing, helping people, singing in the choir, Zumba workouts, my service dog Rosa
On the beach in Cannes, France
I love catamaran sailing!
