PORTLAND, Ore., July 15, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- A chilly, wet autumn night near Portland, Ore., in 1991 started off as a pleasant, fun-filled evening. For author Sharon Smith-Merritt, it unexpectedly became the night that would change her life. In Invisible Illnesses and Disabilities (now available through 1stBooks), the author recounts the frustrating ordeal of recovery from her initial injuries from a brutal car accident, only to be left with "invisible" problems that have changed her life and altered the lives of her family and friends. She illustrates the triumph of her spirit as she tells her story, the trials she overcame and the lessons she learned.
Smith-Merritt has had to adjust to her new self, taking on mental, emotional, spiritual and financial changes. She has learned how to live a full life again, despite her invisible problems. She shares the tips and advice she received and learned along the way, offering an inspirational story for anyone who is enduring a hardship of some kind.
She sheds light on how challenging a non-life threatening, yet life-altering disability can have. Touching on everything from grieving to body image, Smith-Merritt's book breaks down the stereotype that just because a person looks healthy, doesn't mean they aren't suffering. She helps bring the issue of invisible illnesses and disabilities to the forefront in order to help those suffering from these mysterious and influential changes.
Smith-Merritt was finishing an undergraduate degree at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore., when she was involved in a car accident at age 22. A lack of support resources for the invisible disability she has endured prompted her to write this book, offering keen insight into those illnesses and disabilities not seen but certainly felt. The author lives in Portland, Ore.
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