My Sister's Diary

About the Book

My Sister’s Diary is a hearttouching story of a very strong, passionate woman who endured the hardships of cerebral palsy for seventy-nine years. After Carolyn’s death, Carolyn’s sister, Nancy, read and gleaned amazing facts and feelings from Carolyn’s diaries of sixty-five years. Life started with a premature birth. School days were difficult, but Carolyn persisted in a school for the handicapped. After graduation from high school, Carolyn worked at the Sheltered Workshop in Binghamton. A later decline in her condition triggered her family to pursue a patterning program through the Institute for Human Potential. Carolyn’s improvement was remarkable. After her father’s death, Carolyn and her mother moved to Arizona to be close to family. Life was good for them until declining health took the life of her mother. After this, life for Carolyn was most difficult in Medicaid-assisted living facilities. She endured care that bordered on verbal and physical abuse. Three male aids cared deeply for Carolyn and gave her a reason to live. Carolyn felt like many abuse victims do—that she was guilty of causing the poor care. A move resulted in somewhat better care until her death in 2008.

About the Author

Nancy Lester Richardson was born and raised in Binghamton, New York, after the Depression and during World War II. She received her BS in nursing at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York, and an MS in nursing at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. She worked fifty years as an RN. She was the youngest child of Clair and Evalyn Lester. Being six years younger than her sister Carolyn, she often didn’t understand the implications of what Carolyn endured living with cerebral palsy. It wasn’t until much later that Nancy realized the strength it took for Carolyn to withstand those hardships and the endurance involved in struggling with everyday challenges. After Carolyn’s death and with the recent reading of sixty-five years of Carolyn’s diaries, an awakening stirred Nancy’s desire to capture the life, strength, wisdom, and faith in God that was so impassioned in Carolyn. Carolyn’s persistence in journaling was an inspiration. Nancy is now retired, living in Mesa, Arizona. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Handicapped Children’s Association in Johnson City, New York, an arm of the United Cerebral Palsy Association.