SBWire > View Release > New Book "Picking Up the Pieces" Rising above A Loss Again & Again - Don't Give Up:
Author Janice L. Foster shares her personal story of strength and resilience as she deals with MS.

08/17/2006 -- Dealing with a multiple sclerosis diagnosis is a daunting and difficult reality to face. Author Janice L. Foster shares her personal story of strength and resilience as she deals with MS and other setbacks in life in her book, Picking up the Pieces: Rising Above a Loss Again & Again – Don’t Give Up (now available through AuthorHouse).

Picking up the Pieces begins when Foster was diagnosed with MS at the age of 31. From there she shares her experiences with relapsing/remitting MS including her setbacks and triumphs. Forced to retire from her high-paying job at the age of 37, Foster tells of the drastic financial changes she faced as a result of her illness. She also talks about the changes in her lifestyle.

“I talk about the way my life was prior to diagnosis, life after diagnosis and things you can no longer do but you can change the way things may have been done. It helps a lot and it worked for me,” she says.

As Foster coped with the changes in her life due to her illness, she also faced the death of her father. In Picking up the Pieces she details the experience of her father’s cancer diagnosis and the grueling 18 months of his illness before his death.

Picking up the Pieces is a guide for people living with relapsing/remitting MS as well as anyone who wishes to turn tragedy and defeat into triumph. Foster hopes she can inspire readers to adopt the same positive attitude that she has maintained throughout these difficulties.

“I got to the point that I may have to do things differently, but I just will not stop, will never stop and never stop believing in myself,” she says. “I refused to stop, and I kept going with some limitations. Believing and believing in yourself is such a key influence in keeping your life going.”

She says her lessons can be applied to any tragedy in life. “I do not have ‘answers.’ Who does? But if you read, hopefully you can apply situations and how they were handled to your life and help yourself through different hurdles of the loss of your health, job, a loved one and enable yourself to let life go on,” she says.

After her diagnosis and the loss of her father, Foster finds comfort and inspiration “in her father’s teachings and Cher’s music, because, in Foster’s words, “Cher is Cher” and Foster respects and admires Cher for that. Foster also respects Cher (Yes the DIVA Cher) for the Inspiration and Encouragement Cher has given Foster to keep her head held high, to keep pushing for what you want and to do all she can.

Always Remember: Today is here, yesterday is gone and who knows what tomorrow will bring. Live for the day."