I’m humbled and grateful for this review written by Aarik Danielsen, the Arts and Culture Editor for the Columbia Tribune. He’s an amazing writer, and I felt moved to tears. He truly witnessed my soul. https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/entertainment/books/2022/11/05/how-columbia-author-barbara-leonhard-faced-griefs-pointed-questions/69610771007/ Barbara Harris Leonhard Amazon Best-Selling Author Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir, (EIF-Experiments in Fiction, 2022) Pushcart Poet Nominee, 2022... Continue Reading →
Three Maladies to Heal in “Three-Penny Memories”
Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir (EIF – Experiments in Fiction, 2022) is mainly about my caregiving to my mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s. However, two other health conditions/ diseases are crucial parts of my memoir. Mom took care of me when I had measles encephalitis when I was 6 going on 7. Also, following doctor’s... Continue Reading →
My Encephalitis Story Featured on the Encephalitis Society Site
Here is the link to my story. The rest of my blog is about how my case of encephalitis relates to my care for Mom when she was navigating Alzheimer’s. https://www.encephalitis.info/barbaras-story In my debut poetic memoir published last week on Amazon (Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir), I tell about my miraculous recovery from measles encephalitis.... Continue Reading →
Three-Penny Memories ~ A Poetic Memoir, by Barbara Leonhard … a review — rivrvlogr
I am so grateful to Ken Gierke for his reflective and positive review of my debut poetry book, due out on Saturday, October 15 on Amazon. I’m humbled by all the thought and understanding Ken put into his review. Please read on …. Three-Penny Memories ~ A Poetic Memoir by Barbara Leonhard A Review Having... Continue Reading →
Poetry Reading 2: Three-Penny Memories, “Hyperion Raises Doubts”
Hello and Welcome! I invite you to listen to my discussion of Chapter 1 in my debut poetry book, Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir, and my reading of my poem “Hyperion Raises Doubts”. The audio explains the themes and stories in Chapter 1. The audio is around 10 minutes long. Upcoming Launch Events for “Three-Penny... Continue Reading →
Avoiding the Tragedy: A Look into Disease Prevention
The final section of my article on measles encephalitis published by phoebemd.com. Thank you, Phoebe!
By Barbara Leonhard | Featured Contributor
Part 1 – Hope Was Not a Loss: A Story About Measles Encephalitis
Part 2 – Learning How to Walk Again: Barbara’s Story
Back in 1957, the year I almost died from the measles, my parents—unlike the parents of today—did not have to face the choice of vaccination, because there was no vaccine in existence (it wasn’t introduced until several years later, in 1963).
Therefore, it was important for me to share my experience with this condition because of the great controversy that currently exists over vaccines in general, and particularly the measles vaccine. Far too many children are not getting vaccinated against measles and other diseases owing to perceived risks, so now measles has returned as a virulent threat worldwide.
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Learning How to Walk Again: Barbara’s Story
Phoebemd.com published the second part of my article on recovering fully from measles encephalitis. The link to Part 1 is provided. The article is based on one of my poetry podcasts on Poetry: The Memoir of the Soul found at meelosmom.podbean.com.
By Barbara Leonhard | Featured Contributor
[Part 1 – Hope Was Not a Loss: A Story About Measles Encephalitis]
My experience with measles encephalitis taught me a great deal. The greatest realization was that I could change my destiny. I had every reason to remain in the wheelchair because of the attention, sympathy, and love that not only I but also my parents received because of their poor little girl. But the attention from others could not offset the loneliness, the feelings of being diminutive and helpless, and the boredom.
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Hope Was Not a Loss: A Story About Measles Encephalitis
Phoebemd.com is publishing a series of articles based on another poetry podcast I did on Podbean. You have seen this story of mine before, and I will tell it until I am blue in the face if it saves lives. Kids need protection – we all do – from the measles.
By Barbara Leonhard | Featured Health Story
In this article, I would like to share my story of how an illness I suffered as a child affected me. Particularly with the climate of today, I hope this will help inform people of the consequences that can develop in young children who are at risk of getting certain illnesses.
It was the summer of 1957, and it seemed to have happened all at once, where I turned from an active six-year-old girl to a helpless baby overnight. At that time, my family was living in Lewistown, Montana, where my dad was a Presbyterian minister. Mom was at home with three children, aged seven to four. That summer, all three of us contracted measles. But while my siblings’ illnesses took a more benign course, I developed a life-threatening complication: measles encephalitis—a serious and potentially fatal inflammation of the brain…
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Podcast Measles Encephalitis: Hope Was Not a Loss
I have a new poetry podcast up on the topic of my case of measles encephalitis, which paralyzed me and almost killed when I was 6 going on 7. I went into a coma, had a near death experience, and recovered my ability to speak but not walk, I defied conventional medical wisdom of the... Continue Reading →
Abandonment
In a couple of previous posts (February 2018), I described the time I had measles encephalitis when I was six going on seven. One of those posts includes a poem about the experience, “Hope was not a Loss”. In the other post “Measles Encephalitis”, I described the event and showed how this illness and the... Continue Reading →