An important book for all who struggle with health problems

An important book for all who struggle with health problems

Christopher Lockwood of Hallowell did a great job as executive director of the Maine Municipal Association for 36 years, but I had no idea the great difficulty Chris had in recovering from a terrible accident.

Chris was standing behind his van when a speeding car hit him, severing his left leg. His recovery took many years and now he has shared that experience in an important book called Why The Cane? published by Maine Authors Publishing.

Given my own illness, ALS, I recognize a lot of what Chris went through. Eventually he realized that he was going to have to use a cane for the rest of his life. And that was a very tough decision for him.

Chris wrote the book hoping to help others who are struggling with health challenges. And he dedicated the book to Cindy Lockwood, his wife, who passed away in November 2017 after a heroic battle with pancreatic cancer.

Cindy is the one who held Chris and their kids together through his long struggle after the accident. I really related to that, because my wife Linda has to do almost everything for me now that I’ve lost the strength in my hands and legs.

Former Gov. John McKernan provided a nice piece about the book for the back cover in which he wrote, “All who are experiencing similar challenges will find hope and perspective in reading Why The Cane as they follow Chris’s courageous journey to what he describes as regaining a level of activity he thought would not be possible after a traumatic accident.”

I can’t really imagine all the operations and horrible pain that Chris went through for years. But I can thank him for this very thoughtful and helpful book that will benefit many people.

 

 

 

George Smith

About George Smith

George stepped down at the end of 2010 after 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to write full time. He writes a weekly editorial page column in the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, a weekly travel column in those same newspapers (with his wife Linda), monthly columns in The Maine Sportsman magazine, two outdoor news blogs (one on his website, georgesmithmaine.com, and one on the website of the Bangor Daily News), and special columns for many publications and newsletters. Islandport Press published a book of George's favorite columns, "A Life Lived Outdoors" in 2014. In 2014, George also won a Maine Press Association award for writing the state's bet sports blog. In 2016, Down East Books published George's book, Maine Sporting Camps, and Islandport Press published George and his wife Linda's travel book, Take It From ME, about their favorite Maine inns and restaurants.