Beating the Odds: How a Passion for the Arts Helped Save a Young Canadian’s Life

Edmonton, AB- It may seem dramatic, or something from the movies, but when author Alison Neuman was told at the age of 15 that she shouldn’t expect to live past 21, she didn’t accept that diagnosis. She had too much to do.

Battling the deadly dermatomyosistis, a disease that causes overproduction of calcium, as well as excruciating arthritis, Alison was determined to achieve all of her dreams. Even if it meant doing it from a wheelchair.

“Without the support of my family, friends and those like the Rainbow Society in the community that saw my potential, I wouldn’t have been able to continue to fight this debilitating disease and achieve my goals as a writer, singer and dancer. I’m living proof that if you have the passion and drive, you can overcome anything,” says Neuman who is a member of Edmonton’s iDANCE, a dance group that is open to every person’s ability and challenges.

Alison recently published her first book Ice Rose an action-packed super agent story that pulls from her own life experiences and tells the story of a young girl Elissa,  who struggles when an accident ends her dancing and puts her in a wheelchair. Alison wrote the story for the girl she was when she first needed to use a wheelchair to navigate around the world. She celebrates living a life that isn’t ‘normal’ and hopes that many young adults around the world will enjoy her new publication.

“Spending time in Elissa’s world in Ice Rose enabled Alison to escape her own reality and to recharge and continue reaching for her dreams. Today she is active in iDance and is working on her next book Hindsight.

To learn more about Alison visit www.alisonneuman.ca

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To book an interview contact
Rachel Sentes, Publicist
Rachel@gal-fridaypublicity.com
604-366-7846