Yesterday Arden and I witnessed another Nick miracle. I took a picture. Over the weekend I had been playing Bananagrams with friends. It is a game where lettered tiles are used to spell words. Nick was struggling to pick up the tiles. We searched the internet and discovered that there is a similar game with
NORD, or the National Organization for Rare Disorders truly is a life-saving organization. NORD, along with its more than 230 patient organization members, is committed to the identification, treatment, and cure of rare disorders through programs of education, advocacy, research, and patient services. Donations to NORD directly benefit families like ours. One of the programs
Nick continues to amaze us all. We were attending the 60th birthday party of my cousin Drew Doherty. We had gotten a birthday card and after writing our sentiment in the card, Arden asked Nick to write his name. We are very proud of the fact that Nick can write his name. He is proud
Nick loves music, especially when it is performed live. We noticed from our first trip to Ireland that the musicians here are very talented. Nick has a special place in his heart for a local singer/songwriter, Shunie Crampsey. Just after the concert with Phil Coulter this past week, Nick said to us, “Now Shunie.” Meaning
For the past 18 months, we have been doing everything we can to give Nick all of the experiences that will bring him joy. The doctors have told us that his epilepsy is progressing and it is obvious to all that know him that his capabilities have diminished over this time. I know that sounds
How do you define success? What does great accomplishment look like in your view? Oh, we all have read about people with great athletic prowess, while others are super intellectuals, and still others accumulate great wealth. Are these accomplishments truly the only examples of success? I have been at Nick’s side for over 37 years as he has reached
When Nick was about 15 months old, it was decided that he might benefit from speech therapy. The first time we met with the speech therapist, she said that we needed to encourage his thought patterns, his inductive and deductive reasoning, so that he might be able to develop speech. It was very interesting to me. Although we had
From the time I can remember, I have been a goal setter and achievement oriented. this can be very positive, and the down side was that often I would avoid starting something unless I was pretty sure that the outcome would be successful. It has been who I am. Nick has helped me see that
Last night Arden, Nick and I went to a wonderful Mexican restaurant on Alki Point in West Seattle. I have been there many times for business lunches and I am always intrigued with the exciting and varied meal options. It is not your typical Seattle area Mexican restaurant menu. As we were settling in, and I looked
Announcing that I have finished a book with the working title of “The Fairy Fort.” I am currently pitching it to publishers. Keep checking back to watch the progress of my newest novel.
Here is a quick glimpse of the story.
Sarah Doherty is an 18-year-old living in rural Ireland at the tail end of the Great War. Plagued by severe epilepsy, she is protected by her parents and lives a sheltered, secluded, lonely life. The Fae, local Irish fairies, interfere with her life. She falls forward a century in time through the local fairy fort of standing stones. She had a seizure in 1918 and woke up in 2020. The 21st century world includes life-saving prescriptions, physical comforts and the independence and freedom she seeks. The locals are welcoming and Andy Mclaughlin, a handsome young historian, is intriguing. She doesn’t want to return home.
Then a letter arrives from Boston divulging the story of Sarah and Andy’s lives that are deeply entwined in the previous century. They are not yet in love but as they seek to verify the letter through online resources, they feel a growing obligation to their unborn family and to each other. What would happen to their posterity living in Boston if they don’t return to 1918? Even if they do make it back, her parents can never know what happened to her or that would change everything.
This Young Adult time-travel romance explores the question: Do we have the freedom to make choices or is free will an elaborate illusion?
This is my third book. I love reading time travel romances. I am an advocate for epilepsy awareness because my 43-year-old son has intractable epilepsy. As a genealogist specializing in Irish research, I live part of the year in the village where the story is based. I wrote the book to help young adults understand that difficult situations can change your life. Sometimes miraculously.
