Author: Darlene Chissom
Submitted: July 29, 2017
Tell us a little about yourself. I have been a professional photographer for over 20 years and a farm wife for over 30. I had dreamed as a child of becoming an author, I just didn't have the courage or the trust in God to take the leap. My husband having a stroke changed all of that. My faith was strong before but now it leads me in directions that I could only dream of. It was my faith in God that helped me through this terrible time in our lives and gave me the words to tell our story. I hope you enjoy it!
What was your motivation behind this project? We (my husband and I) wanted to tell our story in hopes it would help others who are faced with the same situation. That maybe it would make a difference in someone's life who needed it. We also give tips for recognizing a stroke and how we dealt with some of the after effects from the stroke.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? I hope when faced with a stroke in themselves or someone they love, they know they ARE NOT ALONE! Everything you will read in our story is how it actually was. It has been called "Raw, heart wrenching, inspirational, and personal". It is all of those things and more. It was our daily life for the first year following Phill's stroke.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? My writing our story was extremely therapeutic for me. Some parts of the book took me days to write as it brought back so much emotion. Other parts gave me joy remembering and sharing. If what we went through can help someone else, then it was all worth it.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: You will laugh, you will cry, you will understand more about a stroke than you ever thought possible. You will be drawn in and feel everything we went through as well as see the power of our faith and what it can accomplish.
