Finding Matthew: A Child with Brain Damage, a Young Man with Mental Illness, a Son and Brother with Extraordinary Spirit

“So many things in the book resonate: the sorrows, struggles, and challenges, as well as the guilt and despair -- and, through it all, the surprising and amazing presence of love and joy -- that come with being a parent of a child with a disabilty.” --JIM TRIANTAFILOU, Executive Director, Brampton Caledon Community Living “... a true story in several senses ... true to life in general, true to family life in particular, and true to medicine ... a wonderful book.” --GERALD TAYLOR, M.D., Mississauga, Ontario During the first few weeks after Matthew Kirk was born -- brain-damaged as a result of oxygen deprivation during delivery -- the doctors advised his parents, Donna and Ed Kirk, to put him in an institution, have another baby as soon as possible, and get on with their life. But what the doctors didn't understand was that Matthew was their life. Indeed, as he grew, he would surprise everyone with his athletic good looks, spirited personality, and supreme ability to create joy and love as so many people gathered around to help him through his physical and mental struggles. Now, with the publication of this clear-eyed, laugh-inducing, and heart-tugging book, Donna Kirk recounts the story -- the love story -- of how she and her family found Matthew, and how he found them. Donna Kirk is also the author of short stories, which have been published in The Daily American, Ars Medica, CommuterLit, and The Quick Brown Fox. She lives with her husband, Ed, in Oakville, Ontario.