Falling into Now
Memories of Sport, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Education
“Illness (or life-changing injury)
takes away parts of your life,
but in doing so it gives you the opportunity
to choose the life you will lead,
as opposed to living out the one
you have simply accumulated over the years.”
Arthur Frank, At the Will of the Body, p. 1
Claire’s early love of horses eventually led to a competitive riding career as a member of the Canadian Equestrian Three Day Event Team.
Her equestrian career was brought to an abrupt end by a fall from her horse.
When Claire reflects on her life now in the opening chapter, she mentions that her right leg is in a brace. Readers are left wondering what happened: Why is she grateful to be able to walk only a few steps? The answer is gradually revealed over the course of the memoir as Claire writes about her equestrian life and the years following its sudden end on September 13, 1997. While she chronicles her past, her story weaves into and out of the Now.
Although Claire feels that she will never completely let go of the successes—or of the crushing disappointments—that accentuated her time in the equestrian world, this memoir is about so much more. It’s about being driven to pursue a goal. It’s about life-changing loss. It’s about arduous recovery. It’s about a life evolving into something completely unexpected.
