Good morning,

This week is for the dogs – literally.  Angel is going to the groomers’ today- Both have vet appointments tomorrow.

Angel is the Great Pyrenees and Cleo is the Lab/Shepard mix.

Jacques sores have healed on his leg and we will be able to get back to the pool this week!  He is so happy.

Francais

Bonjour,

Cette semaine, c’est pour les chiens – littéralement. Ange va chez la toiletteuse aujourd’hui, les deux ont rendez-vous chez le vétérinaire demain.

Angel est le Montagne des Pyrénées et Cleo est le mélange Lab / S

Les plaies a Jacques sont cicatrisées sur sa jambe et nous serons en mesure de retourner à la piscine cette semaine! Il est si heureux.

Have a wonderful week – Bonne semaine

Now the hard part?  Finding a title.  To all my French and bilingual family and friends (including of course, fellow authors,  editors, publishers) out there, please help me find a title, your suggestions are important to me.  I would also like for all my artistic friends to give me all your cover design ideas.

A famous author (Denis Monette) was on a well know morning program, Salut Bonjour on TVA this weekend and on facebook they were taking questions. They chose mine and mentioned my name.  I asked “After translating and editing, what is the next step”? His answer was promoting and marketing.  Then he saide to get to writing my next book. Well I am going to do just that!

I am feeling better and getting back to promoting and marketing as soon as the book is published.  I will be promoting both languages, which may be a challenging but an awesome experience I am sure. My website will also be going bilingual.

Once all the suggestions for French title (subtitle) and cover designs have been given, of those who contributed I will have a drawing for a free copy of the book and your name(s) will be  given credit inside the book.

Sorry I haven’t blogged lately.  We came back from Florida in March and I started having heart problems.  After many tests and scares they found I have Prinzmetal Angina.  It is being very well controlled and I feel really good.

You know that (touch screen, alphabetical and coloured) keyboard for Jacques that I searched and searched for?  Well a good friend of ours found one!  We are able to change the letters to bold and large (visually Jacques had problems with the one installed) and of course alphabetical – with TBI he could never learn the QWERTY – memory is not very good and it would be like starting over everyday.  If anyone is looking for this or many other types of keyboards check it out at http://www.comfort-software.com

Have a wonderful day and keep in touch!

I was in touch with  an agent in Montana.  He was going to have a look at my book and see about foreign rights etc…  His wife answered me back she had read the book and it was too specific and had Canada and Quebec and of course the health care system throughout.  I write non-fiction and that is where the story happened.  Started to doubt ….then an agent I am in touch with, now retired, insisted I not give up, my book will be read worldwide one day.  Anyone who reads the book, in any country only has to change the names of the cities to their own and it all comes down to the core of the book - A family’s journey through tragedy and triumph.

Thanks for the encouraging words,

I went on Amazon to see about likes and if there were any reviews.  I know LIFE CHANGES IN A FRACTION OF A SECOND was frequently purchased but I wanted to read reviews.

One particular one I saw, and not from someone I know – (but would like to get to know) from magicfinger03  who obviously read the book from beginning to end.  I want to share the review with you.

As a new author I want to be sure he/she knows that the review was truly appreciated and all reviews help – good or bad.

Please take a look at his/her review and add your comments or reviews!

Thank you magicfinger03 and all others who post comments and/or reviews.

RADIO INTERVIEW REQUEST!

Joni Aldrich an author and radio host asked me to be part of her radio show, the subject “Ladies Who Inspire” on May 18th (to be confirmed) at 2:00 p.m. EST. tune in at  www.w4wn.com She is truly an inspirational woman herself!

Take care

The first accident they talk about in this video (link) is the one Co, Jacques and Claude were found.

Where Co and Jacques were found

HAPPY EASTER

Wishing you all a very Happy and safe Easter!

This weekend is a holiday. The dates are exactly those of 5 years ago.  Good Friday is the 6th, the night they left for the hockey game.

The 7th of April is Saturday the day, or early morning, of the accident. Waking up to the intense knocking!

Sunday the 8th is when we are told of their injuries and that one of them is not going to make it.

Monday the 9th is when Claude passed away and Jacques was transferred to the intensive care trauma unit in Montreal. Co is at the hospital in St-Hyacinthe and still does not know of the degree of injuries to his father and our friend and neighbour Claude.

Five years and we are still coming to terms with all the tragedy and changes in our lives. I still wonder “WHAT IF”? For myself as his wife and caregiver it seems to have gone by fast. For Jacques if you ask him it has been 100 years. We cherish every moment now and hope you do too.

I still try to find ways to make new memories, 2013 or 2014, we will renew our wedding vows, this time with a videographer. He remembers the date, June 11th 1977, because I often mention it. Jacques told me just the other day though he does not remember the births of our sons. This I cannot help him with. I thought that important or life changing memories he would keep but they seem to be fading also.

Most of our family and friends have called and told us to stay put this weekend…….and we will. And as in the book, I can’t wait to prepare the Easter Egg hunt I have planned for my two granddaughters!

BREAKING NEWS

I have just proudly downloaded my book LIFE CHANGES IN A FRACTION OF A SECOND from Barnes and Noble

The books’ files are almost completely transferred to all other places where it will be available.  It is also available at Amazon/Hardcover   Amazon/Paperback  and of course for your Kindle. Chapters Kobo  As for  Chapters it should also be available as hardcover and paperback soon, will look into this week and keep you posted.

Take care and be safe

Jo-Anne

A couple of stories that come to mind.  Probably could write a book on the lighter side of caregiving.

Imagine the scene.  We are at the DISNEY ALL STAR MUSIC resort in Orlando.  We brought my granddauthers and their father (my son) to Disney World in the new year.  Jacques motorized chair is his bed when we are away from home. He is able to get into almost a sleep position with this chair.  To do this there are two buttons to adjust.  Horror!!! one night they do not work.  There has always been a problem with one of the wires that is connected to these buttons.  I usually fix this within seconds, however this time I broke the clasp. I did not bring tools or duct tape.  Duct tape is what I use to fix everything…LOL.  I hold the wire with my hand and still the chair does not work.  Call around and they have duct tape at one of the other hotels on the site. I must now find the other hotel and they will give me the duct tape.  This has to work!?  I run to the hotel get the duct tape, run back to the hotel room and there is Jacques sleeping soundly with his chair in the bed position.  This wire is connected to a battery pack for it to work.  When I had removed Jacques’ cane in the holder I had unplugged the wire. Co (my son) had found a hanging wire - as I was hotel hopping - and said to himself (What’s this”?) plugged it back and all was well.

Around the 3rd month after the accident and still in hospital.  Jacques vision is not getting better. We are in the “living room” of the hospital waiting for our visitors (he had more than two and only two are allowed in the room at one time) Jacques is watching visitors passing by to see another patient.  One visitor for the other patient passes by and goes into the room he says “one of them is going to be kicked out”.  Not sure why he is saying that but then another visitor goes into the same room.  Now he is angry and wonders why the other patient can have six visitors and not him.  I tell him there are only two visitors in the room.  He says “I am not an idiot I just saw two sets of triplets go in his room and that makes six”.  I laughed and so did he when I told him today he was seeing triple.

Have a wonderful day!

Bumps in the road or potholes are everywhere this time of year.

I must avoid them, Jacques’ back pain when hitting these is very high.

DRIVERS be patient!  Do not beep at me, I sometimes have to stop and wait for the road to clear to go around the huge pothole.  To yell at me will not change the fact.  I understand that you cannot tell I have a handicapped person in the van, so when on the road why not just make like the vehicle in front of you has an injured person in it.  Would you be kinder and more patient if you knew?

Take care and be safe!

Jacques can get a around so much easier now!  The blistering cold seems to be gone, no more snow on the ground.  He is able to go outside and (if you have read my book) go to his man cave (the pool house) and blast his music. By mid-May the pool will be ready and he can start doing his physical therapy in the pool!

Days seem brighter and longer, therefore with his visual impairments,