Meet the 2022 PBC Online Living Library Books
*ALL READERS MUST PRE-REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT IN ZOOM. CLICK HERE TO DO SO:
https://nau.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrd-qorjssGNaE6pH1QFrMeQObghKzclhc
Click the book title to register to read that book! ***More than one book can be selected!
Brachial plexus injury of the dominant right arm and now using a robotic exoskeleton for paralysis to assist in life tasks, from playing the guitar to physical therapy, robotics are changing the way life is lived post a traumatic injury.
After the loss of my mother to suicide and my nephew to SIDS, I struggled with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) experiencing flashbacks, obsessive negative thoughts, feelings of guild, anxiety and nightmares. However, I also experienced a greater feeling of closeness to others, I began to be more forgiving and compassionate towards others and my world view changed from generally pessimistic to cheerfully optimistic. I'd like to share my experiences with resilience and being a trauma survivor with you.
Award-winning author and educator, Valerie Foster, shares her family’s experience in fighting to save her teen-aged daughter’s life as she faced death from an eating disorder. Valerie’s internationally-recognized book on the subject, Dancing with a Demon, details what she learned about navigating through the labyrinth of the mental health industry, the misconceptions about eating disorders, and how parents and families can best help loved ones in this battle.
Jacqueline, growing up Jacque; so many parts and pieces that you don't always talk about. Get to know Jacque's parts and pieces in an interactive storybook that allows you to dictate the beginning, the middle, and the end.
We either grow up loving our childhood or recovering from it. I grew up in a dysfunctional family with abuse and neglect. This positioned me well for a lifetime of unhealthy relationships. Come learn about how I healed and stopped the cycle.
It's more than cramps and irritability. It's a buzzing in my head that tells me I'm ugly, that my loved ones hate me, and that my body is trash. It's driven me to find answers on reddit, at the library, ANYWHERE THERE ISN'T SOME JUDGY MD who thinks I'm overreacting. It's cost me relationships, and sometimes I wonder if it will keep me from ever finding a partner.
When a parent ages and is unable to care for themselves, the role of caregiver is one of life’s unexpected or planned responsibilities. Caregiving is demanding and carers are often faced with managing not only their loved one's challenges but, the impact caregiving has on one's own life.
I navigate the world as an autistic nonbinary transmasculine human whilst in chronic pain. I have a connective-tissue disorder called hypermobile ehlers danlos syndrome and am under evaluation for other chronic disabling conditions. I am also a medical librarian- inspired by my experience as a chronically ill person in doctor's offices.
Marian will share her firsthand experience being subject to harmful therapies that were designed from an unscientific and dangerous "pray the gay away" perspective.
As the single mother/primary caregiver of a 23-year-old with nonverbal Autism, a seizure disorder, and intellectual disabilities, I’ve had to educate myself in everything from disability law to biomedical and behavioral interventions, all while completing my PhD in American Literature and eventually becoming the Poet Laureate of Phoenix. Now, a Medical Humanist and founder/director of a therapeutic poetry nonprofit (Revisionary Arts), I teach others how to use poetry to process, cope, and heal.
Her daughter is terminally ill (born with a rare brain abnormality for which half of her brain was removed when she was less than a day old). She suffers from an intractable seizure condition. After 1500+ appointments, 17 surgeries and a cocktail of up to 15 meds daily, she found some relief for her daughter’s seizures: medical cannabis. She has met some supportive folks and some that weren’t. Ask any question: she’s an open book.
With multiple hidden disabilities, I spend hours each week managing health insurance claims, calling pharmacy prescription processing centers, hospital billing offices, and schedulers, while tending office visits with physicians. I'd rather be working or playing outside. A doctor’s waiting room is symbolic of health care's misplaced priorities. They feel oppressive; inhumane. When a doc makes me wait too long, I often send them a bill in protest.
One month after giving birth the world crashed into a pandemic, 5 months after that I figured out my "pandemic anxiety" was full blown post-partum depression. Getting help from my OBGYN's office was easy, seeking out that help on my own was hard. Treating it with medication was, eventually, easy. Getting treatment from a mental health professional ultimately failed.