ST. GEORGE, UT, March 1, 2021
Lindsey Ireland
Lindsay Ireland learned the power of perspective at eleven years old. A week after coming home from her annual idyllic summer holiday with her movie star aunt and uncle (Jill Ireland and Charles Bronson), she was locked in the isolation ward in a children’s hospital. Life went from horseback riding and games of Nancy Drew to being saddled with an IV and the potential solving of a real-life medical mystery.
Often, we have no control over what life throws at us, but we do have the power to decide our point of view. Lindsay decided to share her journey from coping with severe childhood health problems to dealing with ongoing medical challenges. For most of her life, Lindsay appeared to be a vibrant, joyful girl, and then woman, living a full life, her illnesses invisible to the outside world. Many in her life knew that she had MS, but only those closest to Lindsay were aware of her ileostomy. She was embarrassed and secretive about her ostomy for fear it would disconnect her from her peers. Her shame diminished as she matured and became more confident, trusting and open.
Strangely, Lindsay’s first job in psychology research was in the same children’s hospital where she underwent seven surgeries. Unsettling flashbacks led her to psychotherapy, which took Lindsay down the path to self-recognition, insightfulness and illumination. This stood her well when she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in her thirties. A voracious reader and aspiring writer at the time of her diagnosis, Lindsay enrolled in a writing course at university and was encouraged by the teacher to tell her story because “it might help others in your situation.”
Writing a memoir became an elusive, but long-standing, goal. For Lindsay, one of the positive aspects of COVID-19 has been finding the time and energy to write again, and complete her memoir. Her hope is that readers will connect with the common emotions felt during life’s hardships and joys. Human connection often leads to empathy and understanding, and the world can always use more of that, especially right now.
Lindsay’s memoir recounts revelations in relation to her family and medical history in a personal way to help others who may face obstacles. This is her story of resilience, hope, empathy and the importance of family. Lindsay takes us from when she was a little girl, hiding her illness, to a woman who doesn’t let her invisible illnesses allow her to feel invisible.
The ability to keep life’s ups and downs in perspective has given Lindsay the gift of gratitude for life.