Cozy book launch for The Very Able Quadriplegic in 140C

CHEERS! to Alain Paradis, on the snowy, but successful launch of his new book, The Very Able Quadriplegic in 140C.

Entertainment by the LVB Strings of Belleville.

The event was “Quite cozy, due to the snow that made the phone ring non-stop with regrets,” said publisher Lian Goodall. “But those who made it had a super good time, great treats (thanks Linda and Hallowell House), great music (LVB Strings of Belleville), and great help (thanks to Fred the volunteer).”
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A quadriplegic gentleman with MS – who has also battled cancer twice – will celebrate the launch of his warm and funny memoir this Saturday at the Chit Chat Cafe in Hallowell House.
Alain Paradis is a resident in Room 140, Bed C at Hallowell House, Picton, but his mind is not confined to his bed – nor is his sense of humour.
In his warm and funny autobiography, “The Very Able Quadriplegic in 140C” Paradis has readers both hooting out loud and crying as he recounts instances related to his Multiple Sclerosis, his two battles with cancer and other health challenges that he meets with candid humanity, laughter and quiet courage.
“We are half sold out of our first print run before the launch,” says publisher  Lian Goodall, of  Heritage Zoo, Picton. “People are finding this story, and its author, inspirational. He’s a bed-ridden. yet, he doesn’t feel sorry for himself. And not only is Alain amazing, he’s hilarious! He wrote the book to inspire others in similar situations and to help health-care workers understand their clients.”
Paradis operates his computer  with voice recognition software. “The microphone attached to my computer acts as both a keyboard and a mouse,” he says. “For the rest of my environmental controls I utilize an ECU (Environmental Control Unit).  Apart from it having an integrated telephone, I can summon help, turn lights and fans on and off, and control my TV and VCR.”
Readers will gain insight into the lives and coping skills of physically challenged and critically ill people. They will share Paradis’ frustration over bogus parking tickets and insurance scams, and applaud when they read about the day he got mad and threw a rock through two bank doors – before going to prison.
Paradis includes frank, warm and funny stories about his childhood in northern Ontario, being diagnosed with MS in the 1980s and retraining to enjoy a career in computers before a car accident further compromised his physical abilities.