Thanks to Anneliese Grosfeld of Simon & Schuster Canada, I am giving away one print copy of ‘The Long Hello’ by Cathie Borrie.
Book Description:
A stirring memoir of a daughter caring for a mother with dementia that is sure to become a touchstone for many others.
The Long Hello explores the emotional rewards and challenges that Cathie Borrie experienced in caring for her mother, who was living with Alzheimer’s disease, for seven years. Between the two, a wondrously poetic dialogue develops, which Ms. Borrie further illuminates with childhood memories of her family, and her struggle to maintain a life outside her caregiving responsibilities.
The Long Hello demonstrates how caregiving creates an opportunity to experience the change in a relationship that illness necessitates, one in which joy, innocence, and profound intimacy can flourish.
Written in spare, beautiful prose, largely in the form of a dialogue, The Long Hello exquisitely captures the intricacies and nuances of a daughter’s relationship with her mother.
About Cathie Borrie:
Born in Vancouver, Cathie has had an extensive and diverse working life, which includes careers in health, law and business. Beginning as a nurse, she went on to attain a Masters of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and graduated from Law School at the University of Saskatchewan. In 2005, she obtained a Certificate in Creative Writing from The Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University under the expert tutelage of then Director, Betsy Warland.
A creative spirit, Cathie is also an accomplished ballroom dancer, and has dabbled in clowning and theater. Her education and career experience did not, however, prepare her for the seven years she spent caring for her mother, who had Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Many of the Alzheimer’s books that she read during her care-giving years did not address the totality of the journey, neglecting as they did to reveal the unfolding poetry and beauty of her mother’s walk with dementia.
In choosing to write a lyrical memoir of her experiences, Cathie elected not only to explore the spiritual insight made possible by the caregiving journey, but also mined her past to weave the loss of a sibling, the impact of divorce on children, the effects of alcoholism on relationships, and the healing power of dance, into a rich narrative. Although the centre of this work is the mother-daughter relationship during the caregiving years, the many other stories (with universal appeal), set this relationship within a moving and insightful context.
Cathie has presented at international conferences on Alzheimer’s and is dedicated to galvanizing a positive, enlightened change in society’s perception of dementia and works tirelessly as an advocate for both people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.
Currently Cathie is working with award wining director and playwright James Fagan Tait to adapt The Long Hello for the stage.
This giveaway is open to Canada only and ends on January 22, 2015. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
