The authors have been brought together in this book and on this path by their friend and peer, Mom on Wheels, MARJORIE AUNOS, who found her life's true purpose after previous plans were drastically altered by a car accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Marjorie introduces us to the activist, the cheerleader, the dancer, the nurse, the poet, the bullied, the abused, the immigrant, the moms, and the entrepreneurs. These inspiring humans have taken countless stages to share their own experiences and revelations with audiences whose lives have had no choice but to be changed. This anthology is vulnerable, surprising, and relatable, composed of pain and triumph, health challenges and resilience, deep depression and pure joy, bullying and heartfelt kindness. From brutal truths to prove that what you seek has been inside you all along, Our Yellow Brick Road requires nothing more from its readers than an open heart and a full box of tissues. About the Curator: Marjorie Aunos didn't live a fairy-tale princess life-which was just fine with her! Instead, at thirty-three, Marjorie owned her own home, was a single mom by choice, embraced a blossoming career, and had big plans for the future. That was, until, a near-fatal accident devastated her body and permanently changed her future. This take-charge, DIY, entrepreneurial, brand-new mom suddenly faced health challenges and depression that would overwhelm and paralyze anyone in her place. Within the pages of her book, Our Yellow Brick Road, Marjorie triumphs over impossible odds and uses her experiences to form friendships with other inspiring humans whose only goals are to change the world. These are a collective of their stories. Featuring Essays By: Navi Bliss Julianna Bootsman Daniel Burns Donald Carr Celeste Frenette Patrick Richard Garcia Kristin M.E. Light Ingrid Palmer Kady Romagnuolo Emmy Rousseau Dan Shaikh Catherine Wallis About the Curator: Marjorie Aunos, Ph.D. is 2021 Inspirational Speaker of the Year, an author, internationally renowned researcher, psychologist, adjunct professor at Brock University and UQTR and a member at large of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities. She is the Chair of the Parenting and Parents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Special Interest Group (SIRG) of IASSIDD. She worked as a clinical psychologist and developed the first program offering support for families headed by parents with intellectual disabilities in the province of Quebec, Canada. In 2012, while at the peak of her career in Parenting and Disability, she sustained a Spinal Cord Injury in a car accident. Mother to a 16-months old at the time, the accident and subsequent injury gave her an interesting perspective on parenting. Marjorie believes that focusing on our strengths of character can lead to living a fulfilling life. With her family she learned to be a solution-finder to make her world more accessible. She is the co-author of a book on Parenting Capacity Assessment and the author of Mom on Wheels: The Power of Purpose as a Parent with Paraplegia. You can follow her and listen to her inspirational speeches on her social media accounts, and on www.speakerslam.org . IG: @marjorieaunos Twitter: @MarjorieAunos FB Page: Marjorie Aunos ( @themarjorieaunos ) Youtube: https: //www.youtube.com/channel/UCWSNPawpxFqWctKUJ5KR2qg Website: rollfwd.com
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