A little about me…
Author, storyteller and mother of four.
I am introverted by nature, but those who know me well are familiar with my inability to tell a story without a long introduction to set the scene and copious detail to paint a clear picture. I am captivated by the stories of others, the deep, personal, and often challenging stories that shape their lives and make them the beautiful and complex people that they are. I have spent the last many years sharing my own story and supporting others in sharing theirs in the medical world. My work is my passion, and I have my daughter, Haley, to thank for setting me on this unexpected path.
Within the span of six years, Greg and I had four children. I became a medical mom when Haley was 17 months old. I grew into that role over time, then became a bereaved parent when Haley died at age 11. Regardless, I am and always will be a mother of four.
I have lived my entire life in Edmonton, Alberta – a beautiful city with a spectacular river valley, and I am grateful to spend much of my time with my husband Greg and our young adult children, Brendan, Alyssa and Connor.
The Things I Love
I love living in Edmonton where our summer days are long and hot, and winter days are the opposite, but much of the time, the sun is shining, and the sky is blue. I savour time spent outdoors — walking, bike riding, gardening, and simply being in nature. Holidays for me are spent in tranquil, beautiful places surrounded by water, mountains, and trees. Thankfully, I do not live within view of an ocean or I would never accomplish anything, as I would spend my days captivated by the ebb and flow of the waves.
I also love to read, immersing myself in fictional worlds and satisfying my thirst to learn through works of fact. I have written forever, mostly for fun, including long letters to my children, endless thank you cards, volumes of journals, scribbling things to remember or to do on scraps of paper, and creating strange song parodies that make my family question my sanity and lack of more important endeavours. I am currently working on my next book, a continuation of happy faces only, offering a personal retrospective on the experience of grieving the loss of a child.