When 40-year-old Gregory Marchand suffered a cardiac arrest at the end of an eight-kilometer road race and was without a pulse for 20 minutes, few thought he would survive. This inspiring story of hope tells how he battled through a coma, heart surgery and debilitating brain injury to search for the meaning behind his survival that doctors called miraculous. For the highly-trained athlete, weekend warrior, or anyone (runner or not) who has feared death, Gregory's meditative memoir offers insight into how nearly dying can bring new life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gregory Marchand has been a runner and competitive athlete all his life. Since suffering a cardiac arrest and subsequently undergoing open-heart surgery in 1998, his running has continued to be a major focus in his life but now as a source of wellness and spiritual growth rather than competition. An educator and counsellor for over 25 years, Marchand is also a prolific freelance writer, having published over 100 magazine and newspaper articles. He and his wife, Debbie, live on Vancouver Island and are newly-hatched empty nesters with three grown children.
ADVANCE REVIEWS:
"Because people are very good at forgetting what life is really about, Open Heart Runner is so important. Gregory Marchand reminds us of many things: our fragility, our capacity for love, our deep desire for meaning." - Terence Young, Governor-General's-Award-nominated poet and author of the novel After Goodlake's.
"Gregory Marchand's story is at first frightening and ultimately uplifting." - Joe Henderson, author, running coach and former chief editor of Runner's World magazine.
"Gregory Marchand takes us to a place where most of us will never be, or would choose to go. He re-enters life with rich insights that can help us all on our journey down the right road." - Rob Reid, Race Director of the Royal Victoria Marathon
