It had been nine months since I last talked about my book! So, I dusted off my index cards, reviewed the Powerpoint slides, and practiced a talk that, a few months ago, I could do in my sleep. I felt rusty and far too reliant on the cards, however the audience of 50 – 70 people seemed to be interested throughout the 25 minute presentation. I even sold several books. Thank you for asking me to speak, it was truly an enjoyable day.
My mother kindly came along for the six hour drive to Muskoka on May 24th, where I presented at the Gravenhurst library that afternoon. It was a lovely sunny day, apparently the first in weeks, so I was delighted that 15 – 20 people chose to come to the talk. The questions were thought provoking for me; I appreciated that those who had read the book had obviously thought about the content. We stayed at a lovely B&B in Bracebridge that night. Our hosts, Sandy and Norman, were delightful. I so enjoyed talking with them; I will find an excuse to go back! I got a call in the afternoon that the Huntsville talk, scheduled for Saturday afternoon, had to be cancelled. Although it was disappointing, it meant that we were home at 6 pm, not 11.
The next morning, I talked at Bracebridge library before we hit the road for the long drive back.
Thank you Gravenhurst and Bracebridge libraries. And thank you to the Century House B&B. It was a lovely trip to Muskoka.
I met a new group of people yesterday at Brewed Awakenings in Grand Valley, Ontario. Three libraries come together once a month to hold talks by (local) authors. OK, I’m not so local, by I enjoyed the opportunity to talk to the people that attended. Thank you for coming!
A freezing rain warning was in effect when we left home Saturday morning. It was not just a cautionary warning by Environment Canada: by the time we were halfway to the March for Concussion venue at the University of Ottawa, the threat had become a reality. Given these less than ideal conditions, and although the actual March through downtown Ottawa was cancelled, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were 80 – 100 people in attendance for my keynote speech as well as the most informative talk given by Dr. Blaine Hoshizaki about helmets and how they contribute to injury prevention/reduction.
I spent half of the twenty minutes I was allotted talking about sport and concussion. First, I discussed Rowan’s law which came into effect in March of 2018 . Rowan’s Law formalises the training and code of conduct agreements that must be taken before joining a sports team, as well as prescribing the procedures that must be followed after a suspected concussion. Following that, I outlined the recently released guidelines (March 24, 2019) of the Canadian Olympic Committee and similar organisations in an effort to standardise concussion awareness and care. I pointed out that these guidelines are very similar to those brought into law by Rowan’s law.
I then spent ten minutes telling my own story. I tire of it, however it seems that every audience I talk to is composed of fresh faces new to the story. May someone always be interested!
Thank you to everyone who braved the less than ideal conditions and helped to make the event such a success.
What a lovely evening! I was treated to a delicious dinner at the Courtyard Bistro in Pembroke. There were about 14 women there; it was wonderful to be able to chat before my presentation. Ginette accompanied me to Algonquin College where the presentation was to take place. We laughed a lot on the trip over – I’ll just say that we got there via a very roundabout route….
There were SO many people in attendance! It was a pleasure to talk to such a receptive crowd and to answer their questions at the end. My only regret is that I didn’t bring more books (I had 17 with me). I could have sold at least another 10. I hope that all those who didn’t buy a book ordered one online. Thank you Cathy for organising such a successful evening.
PINK Concussions is the FIRST EVER non-profit organization with a highly personal and urgent mission to improve the pre-injury education and post-injury medical care for women and girls challenged by brain injury including concussion incurred from sport, violence, accidents or military service.
I was a member of the panel of women at a pre-conference symposium at the International Brain Injury Conference in Toronto in March, 2019.
The PINK Concussions Symposium was an afternoon scientific presentations of the sex and gender differences in female brain injury from medical experts along with a panel of women patients. Speakers from Canada, America, UK and Australia shared research from their countries on female athletes and non-athletes.The all-female patient panel, of which I was a member, shared their lived experiences of brain injury. It consisted of a cross-section of injuries from sports, domestic violence, work-related injuries, accidents, and military service. The goal of blending scientific findings from experts with the patient’s experience/perspective was to help translate research data into actionable-change in the clinical practice of the medical professionals attending the conference.
Last night, Wednesday, March 6th 2019, I spoke at the Brockville Newcomers’ Club monthly meeting. My contact, Gina Taggart-Budde, was readily available during the month leading up to the meeting, so I felt welcomed before I had even arrived at the Brockville Country Club. After a delicious dinner, I was ‘on stage’. Before I started, Gina’s husband Michael had made sure my Powerpoint would run smoothly, and it did. After the presentation, there were questions, then people bought books.
Thank you for making me feel so welcome. Your group is wonderful. No wonder that ‘newcomers’ (several years old) never leave! You’re fortunate to have such an organisation.
It’s been quite the winter…..I was scheduled to talk at the Oshawa Library on Monday evening. We delayed our departure because of the freezing temperatures. Luckily the drive down was uneventful, although the temperature remained well below normal for January. I was delighted that, despite the frigid weather, over 40 people showed up for the talk! Lots of questions when I had finished, and I even sold a few books.
Theresa, my very helpful library contact, emailed me about the feedback on the forms she had handed out: The comments were all wonderful. Not a single negative one. Most of the comments talked about what a great speaker you are and also how inspiring. Every comment form had either a “met expectations” or a “exceeded expectations.” Good job!!! We had 20 forms come back out of 32 and all positive!
Teresa Gawman, Community Engagement and Programming Librarian
You can view the article at the link below. Let me know what you think in the comment section below.
http://www.cbc.ca/playersvoice/site/category/beating-the-odds
Today, November 15th, I had lunch with a former professor of mine, Dr. Judith Robertson. I am privileged to say that she has become a valued friend. Our writing styles are very different; our health journeys not so much. When I read her postings on Facebook, I’m in awe of her beautiful descriptions and her nods of recognition to other (note I said other…..) great writers. A fabulous writer, she is both a wordsmith and language artist. Judith is humble enough to reference timeless authors – Virginia Woolf for example – whose works inspire her own words. Her own words leave me thinking. It’s so easy to get caught up in the ordinary, Judith helps me to reach for more. Thank you Judith.