Self Publish my Memoir

Hello;

My name is Theo Morin and I am Certified Movement Analyst and have been teaching movement to actors in NYC for the past 28 years.

November 25th, 2021 was the 10th year anniversary of my near, death motorcycle accident. If you are a close friend, family member or former student/co-worker, you likely know what happened. What you don’t know, is my experience of coming out of a coma, re-entering the world and recovering from the multiple injuries I sustained and live with today; the most challenging being a TBI or Traumatic Brain Injury.

In hospital, I had to re-learn the basics: how to control my bodily functions, chew, swallow, sit, stand, walk, remember my name, where I lived, what I did for a living and more.

When I was discharged, after four months of intense rehabilitation, I had to relearn how live and function in the world. I also had to relearn how to write. Prior to my accident, I had published short fiction in literary magazines, was working on a collection of short stories dealing with the aging and passing of my parents. As an English major and actor, literature and writing has always been a passion of mine.

I started to write sentences and paragraphs recounting what I was told and what I remembered of being in the hospital. Eventually, these snap-shots of memories, developed into short stories. I resumed working with a small group of writers and my writing coach.

It took several years before I had enough material to warrant working with an editor to see if I had an actual story to tell. After one year of working together, my editor helped me structure all the fragments of memories, paragraphs and short stories into a coherent memoir.

I knew I was close to finishing and had a chapter from my manuscript published in collection of short stories written by people living with TBI's. Shortly after, the pandemic came along catapulting me into having to make major life changes, some decisions of my own and many circumstantial.

As the 10th year anniversary approached, I made a commitment to myself to have my memoir published so I could put this first part of my recovery to rest. It is my intention to write a second, retelling my journey of re-entering the world, learning how to navigate my way through work, relationships, and the challenges of living with a TBI on a daily basis.

Synopsis

It was the year of my 50th birthday and I decided to check an item off my bucket list and purchased a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Six months later, the day after Thanksgiving, I failed to make a turn and went flying off road into the woods in upstate New York. Friends were following in a car and saw the accident. Gratefully, firemen and paramedics were on the scene within minutes.

My first memory of being in intensive care was about two months after the accident. Prior that, my genetic family from norther Alberta, my chosen family from NYC and my very young lover who I had been dating for just over a year were thrown together in an upstate NY hospital. The first part of my memoir recounts the accident and is based on stories others told me. The second part starts with my first cognitive memory of being in the hospital and ends about three years after I was discharged.

The campaign funds will be used to offset independent publishing expenses which are, but are not limited to:

• Editing

• Line reading

• Formattng

• Book cover design

• Promotion

It is my hope that this memoir will be of support to anyone who has had a traumatic experience in life, people living with TBI's and other disabilities and to friends and families of those affected. I am hoping to get this process underway as soon as possible as today is the the 10th year anniversary of my accident and I am anxious to begin working on my next memoir.

I would be forever grateful for your support and assistance with this project.

Best,

Theo Morin