Sheri Bockelman:  

One of my early elementary school memories: talking too much in 1st grade at Binns Boulevard Elementary in Columbus, Ohio - so our teacher put scotch tape over my mouth, and I just opened my lips anyway! Firstborn, I have five sisters and four brothers - plus six step-siblings. It's complicated; nine of us share the same biological mother, and there's not enough room here to explain the rest! LOL! I was born in Ohio and lived in Iowa, Connecticut, Louisiana, Kansas, California... and Texas. I met my first husband, Chris Purdue, in 1971 while living in Hutchinson, KS - we married Feb. 14, 1973. He joined the U.S. Army, was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service, served in Germany, was discharged Dec. 12, 1975, and was killed in a terrible car accident in Bryan, Texas on Jan. 20, 1976. We had two children - I was widowed one month before turning 21. I was blessed to meet my current husband about six months later. Call me Stroke Girl! Survivor of a right hemisphere intracerebral brain hemorrhage on 12/29/04. I am now medically retired - hemiplegic (left-side paralyzed) and my wheel chair is my safest mode of navigation. But never fear! Stroke Girl stays busy writing. In 2009, I had a colostomy, and on June 3, 2010, suffered a seizure and more brain damage, that set back my recovery. Most of my professional life was spent in advertising and marketing. My various positions were copywriter, account manager and production manager. I've worked in sales, customer service, and behind-the-scenes. I've written retail newsprint ads, magazine ads, and even radio broadcast. I worked for eight years in graphic arts, prepress and printing. Technology has dramatically changed career paths and positions associated with advertising, publishing, commercial arts/design and print manufacturing. In 2002, our company had a mass layoff - after contemplating my options for a year, I chose to return to my original joy: working with children. I started college at age 48, with a major in Elementary Education, minor in Creative Writing. Anyone who remembers me won't be surprised that I made straight A's - lol - and was on the Dean's List; inducted into Phi Theta Kappa with a 4.0gpa. Sadly, I couldn't finish - even though I was determined to continue online classes, I managed to complete only two more courses, with great difficulty. My recovering brain lost its ability to retain information, I couldn't hold a textbook or read, and it was obvious that I would not be able to return to work: since fall, 2003, I had been employed in an elementary school, assigned as a teaching assistant in a Life Skills class with challenged children with Autism, Down Syndrome, and other disabilities. I looked forward to going to work everyday, and loved my job. I'm a writer, by nature. It's great to get paid for a talent and doing something you love - fortunately, the stroke didn't "steal" all my abilities, but did affect some...Expand for more