MONDAY'S MEMO: MAKE NF VISIBLE

The month of May is set aside for many things, among them are raising awareness re certain medical conditions such as Osteoporius and ALS.

My chilhood friend, Ellen McConnell Blakeman died as a result of the latter and I dedicated volume two...

... of my three volume hardcover book series, Words In Our Beak.

MY BOOK SERIES

They are directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective. 

On another note, May is also the month for raising awareness re NF, the acronym for Neurofibromatosis, a condition I was born with, and a condition which at this juncture, I seem to be struggling with more than ever and am having a very difficult time in my life.

I have written a book length piece ("Imperfect Strangers") about it, but efforts to find an agent have been futile. As some of you may know, I've posted a video re my endeavor which can be viewed within my Vimeo channel as well as my You Tube channel.

VIEW ON VIMEO
VIEW ON YOU TUBE

At the moment times have been more challenging than ever what with a dental procedure that I've been mentioning here on Blogger; on going issues with my eye-sight, new pain from NF and dealing with consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

I do not want to go the self publishing route with this book (as I did that with my three volume hard cover book series, Words In Our Beak), as I  have had very little success getting the word out re the existence of these books.

NOW, every day seems heartbreaking as my struggles mount.

In any event, today, May 17th, as explained in the video posted atop this entry is the day NF based organizations set aside to make aspects of this condition visible.

"It's May! It's May!"

"It's May! It's May," are a couple of lyric lines from "The Lusty Month of May," a song featured in Camelot. May is also known as National Bike Month.  Moreover it is the month associated with raising awareness re a number of serious health conditions including Osteoporosis, Lupus and ALS.

Both my dear childhood friend, Ellen McConnell Blakeman, for volume two of my Words In Our Beak book series is dedicated (seen in the next picture) and her father died from ALS.

Her younger brother Douglas McConnell is very active in raising awareness re this disease through a foundation named A Long Swim, which is referenced in my aforementioned book.

Even though I've self-published my three volume book series about birds, I don't want to go the self-publishing route again as it proved to not be a good means to getting much recognition in book stores or in securing interviews. 

On another note, the month of May is also dedicated to raising awareness to the nerve disorder known as NF or Neurofibromatosis.

For Ellen Rachel McConnell Blakeman (Ellen)

It's hard to believe that it's only been six days since I received this notification on Facebook:

"SUN 3:14PM
Douglas McConnell
Patricia - give me a call when you get the chance. Hope all is well."

I phoned Douglas McConnell immediately, and he gave me the heart breaking news that his sister, Ellen had died. She can be seen in the image above in a photo that was taken many years ago.

I've known Ellen since childhood and I'm heart broken.

Doug also informed me of an event taking place in her honor (today) and extended an invitation, but I'm not in a position to travel to Illinois.

In any event, I initially met Ellen in the third grade and we went through elementary school, as well as high school, together.

We reconnected in the late 1980's or early 1990's and we stayed in touch touch via handwritten cards, as well as letters, and phone convos ever since.

The last time that I spoke with her was not so long ago and she was thrilled to be having a "date" with her son, Bennett.

She continued to be enthused about my book, Words In Our Beak Volume One, and was, as she's always been, convinced that it makes a great gift.

It's safe to say that Ellen was one of Cam's (the cardinal who is the protagonist and narrator of the story) biggest fans.

Therefore, Cam and I are dedicating volume two to Ellen Rachel McConnell Blakeman.

I already miss Ellen so much and feel blessed to have had her as a friend for so many years, for as it has been written, "a faithful friend is a sturdy shelter... whomever finds one, finds a treasure..."