The devastating diagnosis of an incurable, debilitating disease does not ordinarily form the starting point of a triumphant story. This, however, is a triumphant story. Heidi Redl was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2004 and immediately chose to fight the disease with the only tools available to her: sheer stubbornness and courage.

Growing up on a pioneer ranch in the rough and dusty days of the late 1960s and 1970s, Redl learned at a young age to be self-reliant and tenacious. Life as a rancher had given her the courage she would need to bravely and persistently fight back against this chronic disease that now affects 2.5 million people worldwide. But nothing in her previous experiences could fully prepare her to live with an equally tenacious enemy.

In A Quiet Roar, Redl shares the struggles and triumphs in her uphill battle with multiple sclerosis. To survive, Redl must first learn to trust and rely on other people for the help she would need in the new reality of her daily life. This compelling and honest memoir is a record of her struggle against the physical challenges of living with progressive disease but also of the support and incredible friendships she found along the way.

Heidi Redl lives and writes with multiple sclerosis in Williams Lake, BC. Her columns and stories have appeared in Canadian Cowboy Country magazine, in the MS Kamloops Chapter newsletter, in Canadian Geographic and in MacLean’s magazines. She continues to write, to teach writing, and to struggle against the effects of MS in her life with the help of her husband, Tom, and her family and friends.

Heidi Redl's profile page