On a cool January evening in 2007, author William Boulton was shooting pool with his dad at the family farm in Lousana, Alta., when he experienced an unexpected and frightening event. As he was about to take the shot, Boulton suddenly lost all feeling in his left leg.
"I thought to myself, well that isn't very good," he said, "but I shrugged it off and continued to play." However, a couple of turns later, Boulton suddenly lost the feeling in his right leg as well.
He did not realize it at the time, but that fateful night would mark the beginning of a long and challenging journey of personal strength and self discovery as he navigated his way through the devastating effects of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis -- a journey he would eventually chronicle in his new book, I Miss Me.
With his initial diagnosis, Boulton, 29, heard the phrase that most of the 2.5 million people afflicted with this illness unfortunately must hear all too often. We don't know -- we don't know when you will get the feeling back, or if you ever will. We don't know what causes it. We don't know which symptoms you will be struck with next or how bad they will be.
"With MS," said Boulton, "They just can't throw you into a category of statistics. The disease is like a fingerprint -- unique for each person that has it." Despite the vast amount of medical knowledge available today, the disease is still largely a mystery. Though he credits his medical team for doing everything they could, Boulton soon found out there would be no miracle cure. "Basically, I had to go home and get used to living without feeling in much of my body," he said.
Boulton regained his feeling as quickly as it had disappeared, one sunny day while he was sitting in his room reading. "All of a sudden I began to feel warmth in one leg and then in the other," he said. "It was like someone was walking along and saw that an extension cord had been pulled out of the wall and they decided to plug it back in."
His remission was short-lived, however, and in the fall of the same year he suffered a relapse. Eventually, his symptoms left him bedridden, and he was admitted to the Red Deer Regional Hospital, where his condition began to improve. He credits his amazing doctors, a wonderfully supportive family, and sheer force of will for his recovery.
"I had a mental image of who I was. I could walk, I could talk, I could eat -- maybe I couldn't do those things at that time, but I was determined to fight until I got that person back," said Boulton.
I Miss Me is, in a way, a display of Boulton's gratitude. "I decided that if someone got me better, I would write a book about this experience, for the purpose of giving others hope, strength and determination."
He wrote the book over 18 non-consecutive months. Then, to avoid giving up promotional control, he published it through his own company, I want my Explosive, a division of Explosive Productions Ltd.
Being able to share his experience with others has been very rewarding to Boulton. "People say to me, I see challenges differently now. I'm going to take on whatever comes my way. Those are great messages. That's the whole purpose of this book."
While his life still has its share of challenges and occasional relapses, Boulton maintains his positive attitude throughout it all. "The truth is, we all have a start and an ending. It's what we do in between that makes the difference," he said.
Boulton, who divides his time between running his business, Explosive Productions Ltd. in Edmonton and working on the family farm in Lousana, hopes that before his ending, he can help people who are struggling with this unforgiving disease. "It isn't just about the book. If somebody out there needs someone to come out and show them some support or talk them through their symptoms, I would be honoured to help out. I know what they are going through and I really want to help however I can."
Anyone wishing to find out more about Boulton's journey can attend one of his upcoming book signings, taking place on Dec. 11 from 1 - 4 p.m. at the Lacombe library, and on Dec. 20 from 1 - 4 p.m. at the Servus Credit Union in Delburne. Boulton can also be contacted through his email: [email protected]. Copies of I Miss Me can be found online at iwantmyexplosive.com, at the Elnora or Lacombe libraries, or at the Delburne Servus Credit Union.
