Synopses & Reviews
When I was thirty-five, my wife and I were both reported dead by the first paramedics to arrive at the scene of a seventy-five-mile-an-hour hit-and-run. My wife Marcy died instantly that day. With brain damage from a massive stroke and my body broken, I wasnt expected to survive either.”
So begins Rise and Shine, the dramatic story of Simon Lewis and his remarkable recovery from a horrific car accident. Told through the eyes of someone who has lived through it” and successfully overcome the hurdles of the health insurance maze, Rise and Shine is a first-person account of unexpected tragedy and life-affirming courage, with lessons both medical and spiritual.
Rise and Shine shows how much patients can achieve, beyond the limited horizons of insurance-based diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, to attain maximum regeneration and rebuild their lives. An inspiring story about what it means to return to life after a near-death experience, Rise and Shine is, essentially, an exploration of the nature of consciousness itself, and an impassioned tale about survival and recovery.
Review
"One of the most fascinating stories of tragedy, loss, endurance, tenacity and eventually triumph I have ever read." Howie Mandel, actor, comedian, host, and author
Review
"A beautiful account of a tragic experience. Simon's courage, indefatigability, and pure humanity shine through every grueling step of his journey back from the rim of death. As he recounts each courageous and agonizing step, he shows us that, at the end of the day, healing is truly a reweaving of body, mind and spirit. Thank you, Simon, for sharing your arduous, light-filled path with us. You give us hope." Daphne Rose Kingma, author, Coming Apart: Why Relationships End and How to Live Through the Ending of Yours
Review
"Simon Lewis's vivid account of his recovery should be a guidebook for all disabled individuals and their families. His disciplines directly mirror the training of an athlete: 'Go into battle prepared to win.'" Mike Utley, former Detroit Lion, president, Mike Utley Foundation
Review
"Simon Lewis reinforces the idea that a supportive family, and an expectation of recoveryeven in small stepscan be powerful ingredients in a successful rehabilitation." Greg Ayotte CBIS, director, consumer services, Brain Injury Association of America
Review
“I salute Mr. Vallieres for what he has done for our military community by coming forth and sharing his incredible story of self-healing through birds.”—SFC Frances Hinton, U.S. Army MEDCOM Southern Regional Medical Command and ARNG Medical Readiness Representative
Review
“Birds are some of the most charismatic of natures creatures. They inspire and delight us with their colors and their grace. . . .
Wounded Warriors reveals just how effective birding can be in uplifting and healing the spirit after physical and emotional trauma.”—George R. Angehr, curator of exhibits at the Panama Museum of Biodiversity and author of
The Birds of Panama: A Field Guide
Review
“While filming with Mr. Vallieres for the New Hampshire Public Television documentary
Journey of the Broad-Winged Hawk, I felt a sincere sense of peace that birds brought to him and a belief that other wounded veterans could begin healing simply by observing the beauty of birds that live among them.”—Phil Vaughn, producer, New Hampshire Public Television
Synopsis
An impassioned tale of survival and recovery, this inspirational story recounts the authors horrific car accident, his subsequent coma, and the more than 15 years of cutting-edge treatments and therapies endured during convalescence. With specific details of the rigorous rehabilitation process that ensued, including numerous breakthrough and experimental surgeries, the book also provides practical insight into navigating the treacherous world of insurance and how to differentiate between the often conflicting medical opinions offered. In addition to describing the numerous procedures undergone, the author tells not only of his pain, frustration, and despair, but also of his childlike wonder at the beauty and miracle of creation. A first-person account of sudden, unexpected tragedy and life-affirming courage, this remarkable tale of regeneration imparts lessons both medical and spiritual.
Synopsis
Robert C. Vallieres struggled to find his “new normal” when he returned home after serving in the military. An accident in Kuwait left him suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and internal injuries, leaving him in constant pain.
After clinics, bottles of painkillers, and behavior modification pills, hope seemed to vanish. Then a local weekly newspaper ad caught his eye: a bird-watching trip to see raptors in the mountains of New Hampshire. An Emily Dickinson poem that states, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune—without the words, and never stops at all,” sprang to his mind.
Wounded Warriors is Vallieress story of self-healing from crippling “invisible” wounds through the help of birds. The problems of TBI and post-traumatic stress disorder do not have definitive solutions. His story of recovery offers a winged hope to thousands of military personnel who suffer these physical and mental battles.
About the Author
ROBERT C. VALLIERES is a Persian Gulf War veteran. He lives with his wife and son in Concord, New Hampshire, and volunteers for the New Hampshire Audubon Society. Vallieres received a BA in Fine Arts from Notre Dame College in Manchester, New Hampshire, and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Spirit of New Hampshire Volunteer of the Year award in 2009.
JACQUELYN M. HOWARD is an environmental management specialist, naturalist, avian field biologist, and writer.
CINDY PARSONS is a spokesperson for Warriors Speak, a division of the Wounded Warriors Project, and a full-time caregiver for her son, Sergeant Shane Parsons, a double amputee with a traumatic brain injury.