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5 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,S eptem ber 19,2019 theifp.ca $999* $999* $999* $999* $1499* $1499* $999* $799* parent goes through when they lose a child suddenly and tragically." Sutherland, who's con- fined to a wheelchair and is unable to eat, drink or breathe without assistance, painstakingly wrote the book on a computerized de- vice that tracks his eye movements on a visual key- board. The former physi- cian and father of three said he's been writing notes to his family for years since be- ing diagnosed with ALS. "When you have an 80 per cent chance of dying in the first five years of an illness, you want to leave something behind for your loved ones," he explained. After son Zach and girlfriend Kaya's passing, he began writing weekly to process the im- mensity of his acute grief. His writings formed the ba- sis of the manuscript, which he said started at 350 pages, and with the help of an edi- tor, became a 200-page book that shares his ongoing healing journey and the vul- nerabilities of his normally private life with Darlene. "Putting this out to the general public and sharing my usually private thoughts and the circumstances of our life makes me feel vul- nerable and courageous at the same time," said Suther- land. He also had some epipha- nies while writing, like the realization that he and Dar- lene hadn't really grieved the personal and relation- ship losses that came with an ALS diagnosis in 2007. "We had put our focus on the kids enjoying their lives despite my illness," he said. "This caused me to not only have to grieve Zach and Kaya, but also the loss of my ideal life that Darlene and I had before ALS entered our lives." But from these tragedies comes a message of hope and resilience that the Suth- erlands believe will help others. "I hope the book helps those who've had tragedy and adversity realize they can work toward incorpo- rating their losses into their lives and move from the hor- rors of profound loss toward resiliency, hope, joy and peace," said Sutherland. He added, "I hope my ob- servations about what con- stitutes a good life are ap- preciated by people who've not yet undergone profound loss, and that they gain per- spective and enjoy the beau- ty that's already present in their lives." Darlene said she would like to see the book open up conversations on loss, in turn raising awareness and empathy for those coping with tragedies, instead of turning away from them. "We never knew how dev- astating a loss could be, par- ticularly the loss of a child. It's not something that's talked about," she said. "It has such an incredible, all- encompassing effect on the body, physically, emotional- ly and mentally. We want that to be brought forward and acknowledged so that people have a better under- standing on how to ap- proach people with loss." Sutherland is launching the book at the Georgetown branch of the Halton Hills Public Library on Sept. 29 from 2 to 4 p.m. Those inter- ested in attending can RSVP to publicity@sutherland- housebooks.com. Still Life will be sold at Indigo starting in October. For more information visit sutherlandhousebooks- .com. BOOKS Continued from page 1 SHARING PRIVATE THOUGHTS MADE JEFF FEEL 'VULNERABLE, COURAGEOUS' "Putting this out to the general public and sharing my usually private thoughts and the circumstances of our life makes me feel vulnerable and courageous at the same time." - Jeff Sutherland To write his memoir, Jeff Sutherland used a computerized device that tracks his eye movements on a visual keyboard. Melanie Hennessey/Torstar