Finding Balance Beyond My Diagnosis
Memoir
Date Published: September 7, 2023
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
Jennifer Gasner is seventeen when her dreams are shattered overnight. Receiving a diagnosis of Friedreich’s Ataxia, a rare genetic neuromuscular disease, means she must prepare herself for a life of loss. When she starts college, she can still walk on her own, but as her disease progresses, she spirals further into sadness, denial, and alienation. She turns to alcohol and a toxic relationship to distract her from what she refuses to accept—that her body, her self-esteem, and her hope for her future are failing.
When Jennifer develops a friendship with rock star Dave Matthews, her outlook changes. She begins to understand that using a wheelchair doesn’t mean her life is over. In fact, when she discovers disability culture, she realizes it’s not her body that needs to be fixed but her assumptions about being disabled.
In her captivating memoir, My Unexpected Life: Finding Balance Beyond My Diagnosis, Jennifer invites you into her world, where she must learn to view her changing body with compassion and choose gratitude over anger as she finds strength and acceptance in a whole new way of moving through life.
September 4 - RABT Book Tours - Kick Of
September 5 - Matters That Count - Excerpt
September 6 - Nana's Book Reviews - Spotlight
September 7 - My Bookmarked Reads - Interview
September 8 - BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog - Spotlight
September 11 - Book Junkiez - Excerpt
September 12 - Liliyana Shadowlyn - Spotlight
September 13 - Novel's Alive - Review
September 14 - Crossroad Reviews - Spotlight
September 15 - The Avid Reader - Interview
September 18 - Tea Time and Books - Spotlight
September 19 - On a Reading Bender - Review
September 20 -Beautiful Books - Spotlight
September 21 - Our Town Book Reviews - Excerpt
September 22 - My Reading Addiction - Spotlight
September 25 - Texas Book Nook - Review
September 26 - Momma and Her Stories - Spotlight
September 27 - A Life Through Books - Interview
September 28 - Novel News Network - Review
September 29 - The Faerie Review - Spotlight
October 2 - The Indie Express - Review
October 3 - Momma Says to Read or Not to Read - SpotlightAbout the Author
Jennifer Gasner received her BA in English from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and her MS in recreation from Western Illinois University. Her work with Independent Living Centers enabled her to learn about various disability programs throughout the country and ignited her passion for disability culture. She relocated to San Diego, California, on her own at the age of twenty-eight.
As a mentor for What’s Next, a program for youth with disabilities, and as co-chair of UC San Diego’s Staff Association for staff with disabilities, Jennifer solidified her role in the San Diego disability community. In 2020, Jennifer became an ambassador for the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA), raising awareness about Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA). She participated in Rare Across America, meeting with legislators to discuss laws affecting more than 25 million Americans living with one or more rare diseases.
Jennifer is a member of the San Diego Memoir Writers Association, and her writing has been published in Shaking the Tree, volumes 3 and 4. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, movies, and traveling. She lives with her boyfriend Gregory and their dog. My Unexpected Life: Finding Balance Beyond My Diagnosis is her first book.
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