A Life Interrupted

In February 2003 author Louise Mathewson emerged from a two-week coma following an auto accident in which she had suffered a traumatic brain injury. At first unable to walk or make herself understood, she resumed writing as soon as she could and found the process transformative. The poems in A Life Interrupted depict her healing journey and provide hope to patients and caregivers who have also been transformed by injury. The book includes a resource section and the journaling prompts Mathewson found helpful. "This book should be required for every neurologist graduating from residency," says Linda W. Peterson-St. Pierre, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. "It should be in every VA hospital for soldiers returning from war. It should be at the bedside of all who suffer at home. A caretaker should gently read these words out loud to heal and be healed."