Middlebury Woman Crafts Memoir On Facing Disability, Loss

MIDDLEBURY, CT — When Margaret Anne Mary Moore's umbilical cord prolapsed and caused a five-minute deprivation during her February 1997 birth and delivery, she was given no chance of survival.

As she was being connected to respirators in the neonatal intensive care unit, her parents were told that she would not live through the night. No medical personnel can explain why she survived and began to breathe on her own; they have labeled it a miraculous recovery.

Moore came home with cerebral palsy, a physical disability that impedes her ability to independently sit, stand, and walk. She relies on a wheelchair and walker.

Given her speech impediment that makes her verbalizations unintelligible to those beyond her immediate family and close friends, she also relies on an assistive and augmentative communication device, a specialized computer that allows her to type in her thoughts and have them read aloud by its synthesized voice. Moore has needed assistance with feeding, dressing, tending to personal care needs, and transferring between her assistive equipment and furniture all her life.

Despite these obstacles, Moore has attended regular education from preschool through her graduate studies, completing courses alongside her able-bodied peers. She is a 2015 graduate of Pomperaug High School and earned her MFA in creative nonfiction and poetry from Fairfield University’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program last year.

Now she's telling her inspirational story in her book, "Bold, Brave, and Breathless: Reveling in Childhood's Splendiferous Glories While Facing Disability and Loss." The book was released Oct. 2 and shortly after that hit an Amazon Best Seller list in the Biographies of People with Disabilities category.

Moore discussed what inspired her to write her memoir.

"When I learned to write as a student at Long Meadow Elementary School, I instantly fell in love with writing. It became my favorite subject," Moore said. "My teacher recognized my talent right from the first story I wrote and suggested I write a book about my life, given the unique circumstances I have faced with my disability and the loss of my father. We believe and hope that my family's story can help people. Ever since I was eight years old, my dream has been to write a series of memoirs about my life, so I'm so excited to have this first book out, and there will be more to follow."

She said that she wants the book "to be a source of inspiration for individuals of all abilities, teaching them that it is possible to overcome even obstacles that seem monumental and reach high levels of success."

Moore said writing the book gave her an opportunity to contemplate her childhood. Just before her second birthday, her father died of a rare form of stomach cancer. She and her two older brothers were raised by their mom, Anne, a single mother who believes in the power of perseverance.

"As I am unable to sit, stand, walk, feed myself, and tend to personal care needs independently, I have relied on the assistance of others all my life," she said. "My education in Fairfield University's Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program taught me to delve deeply into and describe the fine details and step-by-step procedures of how I navigated childhood with a disability and how my family adjusted to and persevered in life in a single-parent household after losing my father to stomach cancer.

"Thinking about and using such close detail to depict how my late father, my mother, and my brothers Sean and Brian accepted my disability and were so willing to aid me in my daily routine and extraordinary endeavors and how so many friends, educators, and supporters were so willing to guide and be there for us has been a gift, making me even more thankful to them. I hope they see this book as an expression of immense gratitude."

She also intends for the book to be a vehicle for promoting disability inclusion, tolerance, and the implementation of effective inclusive practices in areas like education, sports, and Scouting.

She hopes her memoir teaches other people with disabilities and their caregivers about the vast opportunities available to disabled people "so they can enjoy and prosper in activities that are the same as or similar to those I have thrived in."

Beyond her academic skills, Moore grew up playing adaptive soccer and running competitively with her walker. She has been a Girl Scout since she was five years old, earned her Girl Scout Gold Award, and has participated in sports such as ice skating, parasailing, and ziplining.

The book was published by Woodhall Press, an independent publisher where Moore currently works as a book editor and marketing coordinator. She is also an ambassador for her communication device manufacturer, PRC-Saltillo.

Moore had a book launch event at Long Meadow Elementary School's Media Center earlier this month.

She will have an author talk at the Middlebury Library, Dec. 5, at 6:30 p.m.

She is scheduled for an "I Wrote That" author talk at The Waterbury Palace Theater on March 9 at 2 p.m. She also has an author talk in Massachusetts in March.

Moore is currently reaching out to various Connecticut bookstores and libraries and hopes to have more events this fall and beyond.

For more information, go to Moore's website.

And go here to purchase her book.