Surviving Ms with Soul Intact

Book excerpt: The ups and downs of living courageously with multiple sclerosis is captured through personal journal entries while searching for the right formulas. Progressing from healthy to increasingly dependent, this MSer struggles along. Charmaines honest and candid memoir chronicles the twenty-two-year path of her disease and the gifts of family, God, and perseverance. Through journal entries knitted together in brilliance, this memoir radiates daily resilience, detailed reason, and definite redemption. The words on these pages are a shining example of success amid suffering, and display a beauty far beyond brokenness. Writing with humor and wit, Ms. Zankowicz has created a masterpiece. Aime Wren BA Eng. Lit. Profound, honest, heart wrenching, brimming with joy and life; full of family values, not preachy, inspirational gratitude. Shirley Buchanan LL.B Charmaine Zankowicz shares her journey from infancy to maturity in both her faith and her struggle with MS. Along the way she proves that being tested in the furnace of affliction (Isa. 48:10) is a sure fire way to prove what you are actually capable of. It is also an example to others of how to follow in that tradition. Charmaine has used stories from the past along with insight from the present to illustrate what real hope looks like. Her story inspired the painting I did for the cover of this book Charmaine; always reaching beyond her grasp, now pulling others along behind her out of the darkness into the light. Adversity can be a wedge that drives us from God and hope or a magnet that draws us towards God and hope. Charmaines book is an encouragement to new Christians and especially to anyone who is struggling with chronic pain whether it is MS or any other physical or emotional difficulty. The "Furnace of Affliction" has helped Charmaine push out the edges of the envelope and embrace life outside her comfort zone she is real and she is inspirational read and reach for the light! Susan Rumford B.A., M.A. Th:S.C.P. (Counsellor / Psychotherapist) The truth of what goes on in the mind, body and soul of a woman battling MS is shared in this book. It's not for the faint of heart. It will multiply your faith, increase your resolve; and if your belief is weak, don't worry - you can piggyback on Charmaine's. - Gunner