About the author

My little story.

Let me share a bit about myself.

My name is Pascale.

I was born and raised in a small town, right in the center of the province of Québec. Oui je parle le français! 

After graduating high school, I moved to the big city of Montreal to further my studies, where I later graduated from Diagnostic imaging. I’ve specialized in high risk obstetrical and gynecological ultrasound since. A career that I love and enjoy to this day.

2008 was a big year for me! I graduated and met the love of my life. We’ve been together for over 14 years now. We are happily married and blessed to have two amazing boys. They are my everything.

Life is beautiful. But life is also challenging.

In 2018, I started suffering from debilitating headaches. All day, every day. I knew something was wrong. It took several months to diagnose me with a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. Over time, I noticed that by lying down flat, the headaches would disappear. This is very specific to CSF leak diagnosis.

My symptoms quickly worsened. I eventually developed numbness of my upper limbs. The headaches were unbearable and my day to day was a struggle. My head felt like it would explode.

Unfortunately, the expertise in CSF leaks diagnosis and treatment is very limited in Québec. My neurologist suggested I reach out to the United States & Thank God we did.

I was put in the hands of an amazing team that finally found my CSF leak, after years of investigating.

Sadly, my leak was bigger than expected and it required immediate surgical repair. 

In September of 2020, in the peaks of the pandemic, I had my first spinal cord surgery here in Canada. I was admitted for days. I could not see my children. God I missed them. 

What helped me, is the little rainbow colored cheetah plush that the kids gifted me. I held on to Dottie, my plush toy, more than you’ll imagine. That plush toy is seen across the book and is very symbolic to me.

After surgery, I did better, but temporarily. My CSF leak had unfortunately not been repaired correctly.

Months passed by before we could figure out what was happening with my spinal cord. It was a more complex type of leak. A CSF leak venous fistula. My symptoms became worst than ever. I feared of paralysis on a daily basis. 

A possibility that was getting closer and closer by the day.

In December 2021, I had my second spinal cord surgery - the week of Christmas. This time, we needed to go to the United States for repair. Leaving our kids behind during the most magical time of the year, was one of the hardest thing we ever did.

A couple of weeks prior to leaving, is when I wrote Stronger than ever. A story I wrote for my boys. 

The fear of paralysis and the unknown haunted me. I was filled with emotions & felt that I needed to write them something. It sort of felt like I needed to leave them a little legacy.

But it didn’t take long for me to realize that this handwritten story could be more. It could become a beautiful Children’s book. 

Unfortunately, my battle with this CSF venous fistula leak is not over yet. I’ve had more spinal cord procedures since and I’m praying for the best outcome. I am not giving up. 

It’s a story that I hope will inspire families. One that will hopefully open discussions about the challenges of life with your little ones. A story book that will hopefully spark joy and hope. 

Life is not always easy. It comes with struggles and challenges. But through those moments, we become stronger than ever. 

Love

Pascale