ShireenJ Profile Page
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| 3422 | |
| OFFLINE | |
| 4 years ago | |
| 3 years ago | |
| 3 years ago | |
| 18 |
| ShireenJ | |
| Female | |
| Toronto | |
| Ontario | |
| Canada | |
| I read: Mystery, Humour. I write: Biography, Short Literary Fiction, Essays |
About Me
I started life in London, England and sailed to Bombay, India at the age of 3 months with my parents; played, laughed, and learned to read and write there; and then at age 5 was told time to pack up we're moving and we're going to see snow. Snow? What the heck is that? On the way to Toronto, Canada, we stopped off in England, and me and snow became acquainted. I was enchanted. Curiosity killed the cat they said, but curiosity drove me to ask questions endlessly and to keep my nose firmly in books. I pacmanned my way through the children's section of the public library, through as many books as my parents could afford to buy, until the well ran dry. Fortunately, I discovered a new library when I started junior high and then another and another. I was off again. Reading doesn't tell me what to write, but the authors I read inspire me, some with their writing style, some with their subject matter, and some with their amazing ability to entertain. Writing has taken me places I never expected to know. Through working on the biography I just published, I met so many amazing people, with interesting lives, who all intersected at the point of Judy Taylor. Through the publishing process, I met people from places I never could have anticipated. I've been honoured and surprised by the reaction my biography on Judy Taylor has engendered,' To my delight, Lifeliner was named a Finalist in the Reader Views 2007 Literary Awards, winning First Place in the Biography category. |
My Bookshelf
| Paperbacks inhabit my shelves. They're easy, portable, and don't take up much space. Right now, I'm liking: Agatha Christie (the Dame reigns) Donna Leon (be prepared to have an Italian lunch at hand for her food scenes) Rex Stout (so quintessentially New York) Laura Lippman (set in a place I've never been to, but can through her) P.G. Wodehouse (if you haven't read about Jeeves and Bertie, you've missed a treat) Giles Blunt (though I wasn't keen on who he chose as victim in his last book) |
Portfolio
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Portfolio Description:
I'm an author, long-time writer, Twitter fanatic, and am fueled by chocolate, the dark happy-inducing organic stuff of course. I have a website and blog at www.jeejeebhoy.ca, can be found on Facebook, and am trying madly to keep up with myself.
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| – Tuesday, May 27 2008 – | |
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To be an author today is to join Chapters community Facebook MySpace another community and don't forget Twitter. To be an author toda...
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| – Tuesday, April 29 2008 – | |
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We writers were challenged in Chapters Community to write a top 10 list about those who inspired us and influenced our work. Hey, I thought, great ide...
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| – Sunday, April 20 2008 – | |
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I've gotten inured to the outpourings of intimate details of a person's life or problems on daytime TV, and I certainly was the recipient of m...
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| – Thursday, March 27 2008 – | |
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It’s been a worrying day, but Cliff is elated when he hears the good news at one o’clock in the morning. Judy has come through her emergen...
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The future looks bleak for the Toronto Public Library (TPL). Its budget has been downsized, users continue to pour in, while it struggles to retain o...
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| – Monday, March 24 2008 – | |
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I was looking through my old, very old, files to see if there’s anything worthwhile to republish on my website , and I came across a rant I wrot...
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| – Sunday, March 23 2008 – | |
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It's just over one week until round two at placing my book in an Indigo store in Toronto commences. As an iUniverse Publisher's Choice book, ...
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Photos
Total number of images: 1
 Lifeliner Hits: 374 Comment: 0 |
Videos
Forum Posts
Forum Statistics
| Forum Ranking | New Boarder |
| Total Posts | 6 |
Forum Posts
| Date | Subject | Category | Hits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04/04/2008 13:03:27 | Re:Canadian Booksellers Taking Hit with Dual Prici | Book Industry News | 446 |
| 03/28/2008 23:17:44 | Re:Amazon plus Booksurge? WTF? | Amazon.com | 7054 |
| 03/27/2008 13:26:31 | Re:Hi there! | Introduce Yourself | 1229 |
| 03/26/2008 23:44:59 | Re:Hi there! | Introduce Yourself | 1229 |
| 03/26/2008 22:46:39 | Re:Hi there! | Introduce Yourself | 1229 |
| 03/26/2008 20:05:44 | Hi there! | Introduce Yourself | 1229 |
Visitors
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1: Buy It!
| Lifeliner: The Judy Taylor Story | |
| $16.95 | |
| 978-0595445448 | |
| Amazon.com | |
| Thirty-four-year-old Judy Taylor relished her simple, happy life. She had a loving husband, three young daughters, and a beautiful home. But after intestinal blood clots annihilated her digestive system, Judy was left with the certainty of starving to death in a cold Toronto hospital.
The year was 1970, and most doctors still considered long-term intravenous feeding to be science fiction. As a last resort, Judy's surgeons turned to a radical young immigrant doctor who had performed groundbreaking research on artificial feeding methods for humans. Together, Judy and Dr. Khursheed Jeejeebhoy agreed that Judy's only hope was to become a human test subject. For the next twenty years, Judy and Dr. "Jeej" worked to develop and hone the medical procedures for Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), which became the basis for modern intravenous feeding. With courage and determination, Judy raised her family and led a fulfilling life despite being the subject of experimental medicine. Lifeliner tells her inspiring true story and intimately reveals the miraculous link between science and the resilience of the human spirit. |
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| Gloria Oren, Writer and Editor, gave Lifeliner 5 stars and wrote: "This is my third date with the knife," she jokes as she sees the surgical resident come in to prep her on the afternoon of October 21. "You ought to put a zipper in. It'd be much easier to unzip me when you want to play with my innards." Lifeliner is the amazing, unforgettable story of a young woman who becomes seriously ill at a young age and with the devoted care of her gastroenterologist survives for over twenty years. Judy Taylor was a woman of great courage and a natural fighter. She was also the first patient ever to be treated with in-home alternative feeding techniques and the first such patient to survive the longest. Lifeliner is Judy's story, but it is also the story of her devoted gastroenterologist, Dr. Jeejeebhoy, who improved upon early records of alterative feeding methods and created the Total Parenteral Nutrition system (TPN) and it's portable versions for home care. For this Dr. Jeejeebhoy was dubbed "King of TPN". Judy, trained in nursing, married with three young daughters was put on a new birth control pill in 1966 which caused the development of intestinal blood clots. These clots eventually led to the loss of her digestive system. Until then, this situation meant starvation and death, but with Dr Jeejeebhoy overseeing her care Judy became his test subject and survived long enough to be able to return home with a brand new home method of alternative feeding. Using this system Judy survived for over twenty years. For Judy this meant being a mother to her daughters, a wife to her husband and the opportunity to live life as she wanted. Jeejeebhoy, the doctor's daughter met Judy when her father was invited to a BBQ at Judy's home and was asked to bring his family. Knowing Judy personally enabled the author to contact people Judy knew and to produce a story that will live on for a very long time. Jeejeebhoy's style of writing sets the right pace as we follow Judy's medical difficulties. If you like reading about medical developments and down-to-earth humanitarian doctors and the relationships that develop between them and their patients, than this book is for you. It is truly a fascinating and eye-opening story which was well written. What I found especially entertaining was the nicknames Judy came up with for her devoted doctor -- Dr. Cowboy and Dr. JeeJee which she later shortened to Dr. Jeej. A very ill woman indeed but her sense of humor shines out throughout her ordeal. This is a must read for anyone suffering from a similar condition as well as any terminal illness that might require alternative feeding such as AIDS, some cancers, etc. If you want a book you can't put down, get Lifeliner into your hands, you're in for a wild ride with one awesome woman and the genius of a devoted doctor. Paige Lovitt for Reader Views, gave Lifeliner 5 stars and wrote: "Lifeliner" tells the courageous story of Judy Taylor and her battle to survive after an illness forces the removal of most of her digestive system. Her illness began when she was approaching her mid-thirties. She and her husband were enjoying a good life while raising their three daughters in Toronto. When her illness strikes, Judy is introduced to Dr. Khursheed Jeejeebhoy. Dr. Jeejeebhoy is able to save Judy's life by developing an artificial feeding program called Total Parental Nutrition which is referred to as TPN. "Lifeliner" is written by the doctor's daughter. Judy was one of Dr. Jeejeebhoy's early patients; therefore, a lot of his success was based upon trial and error. For over twenty years they worked together. In enduring the trials, Judy had to undergo some painful and debilitating experiences. However, without these efforts, she would not have survived. Judy's husband provided her with a tremendous amount of love and support. It seemed like their special connection helped to give her the strength to get through the really rough packages. A side effect of this ordeal was how her illness affected her relationship with her children. It was very difficult for them to have to live with knowing that they could lose their mother at any time. This seriously affected them into their adulthood. Having been a pharmacy technician, in my younger days, at two hospitals on both coasts, I really appreciated learning the history of TPNs and about the amount of dedication and perseverance that led to their development. I knew that they were to help keep people alive, but did not fully understand their significance until I read "Lifeliner." The amount of time that it took pharmacists to make them in the 1980s to 1990s was nothing in comparison to the amount of time to put them together as they were being developed. This story is a must read for doctors, pharmacists and nurses. Judy's story in "Lifeliner" really touched my heart. Instead of giving up and allowing herself to succumb, Judy stuck it out. She did the best that she could to take care of her family. She kept her spirit strong and was an inspiration to others who were being introduced to TPNs. When she would go to the hospital for her checkups, she would take the time to go visit these patients and give them hope. Having been able to leave the hospital and take care of her feedings at home, showed them that they could get most of their lives back. Reading Judy's story also inspired me. During her story, she advises a friend not to take life for granted, and to make sure that she takes time to enjoy it. We all need to follow this advice, especially while we still have our health, so that we can be sure to enjoy life to its fullest. Ernest Dempsey, Editor-in-Chief of World Audience Publishers, wrote: One thing a good inspirational book achieves is making its readers realize the worth of life and the state of living just in normal good health-something we often take for granted. Canadian author Shireen Jeejeebhoy’s biographical account of Judy Taylor, titled Lifeliner: The Judy Taylor Story (iUniverse Inc, Nebraska, 2007), is a recent instance of personal inspiration with the life and courage of a woman whose medical treatment for severe gastroenterological damage was about to revolutionize the medical technique of intravenous feeding. Being the daughter of Dr. Khursheed Jeejeebhoy, Shireen Jeejeebhoy met Judy Taylor while still a young girl. Back then, in the early 1970s, Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) was a medical strategy in its infancy, used diffidently by physicians for keeping seriously ill people alive only for a short time. Gastroenterologist Dr. Khursheed Jeejeebhoy decided to use TPN as the alternative mode of nutrition to sustain Judy Taylor-the woman who suddenly had become a victim to a horrible blood clot that destroyed her innards, making eating impossible and inviting death in the form of infection and starvation. Lifeliner is the true story of what happened in Judy’s life as she fought death with the help of Dr. Jeejeebhoy. By staying alive and functional on TPN for over twenty years, Judy became the first successful ‘lifeliner’, a source of hope for more patients like her, and Dr. Jeejeebhoy practically became the father of Total Parenteral Nutrition. Lifeliner is more than an inspiring biography; it’s a book about the developmental course of TPN as well as a case study of the emotional aftermath of seriously ill people, like Judy, to their families and relationships. Shireen’s pen has all the force of a great storyteller and the artistic skills of reviving a past scene in its most original form. She shows us the situation, taking us to the time and place of the event without throwing in a single unnecessary word. Choosing the present tense for telling Judy’s story, the book gets over the sense of temporal gap that so often interposes between the reader and the events. There are many medical terms in Lifeliner which the lay reader may have to grapple with and so the author has taken care to add a glossary of the difficult terms at the end of the book. All material is well-researched and a bibliography of relevant works makes the book a complete guide to TPN for interested readers. Lifeliner is for all audiences, and especially a must read for people whose lives have been touched by serious illness. This book will give them hope and courage, helping them to appreciate life better. C. A. Hoyer, Ph.D., gave Lifeliner 4 stars and wrote: Shireen Jeejeebhoy has written an extraordinary account of Judy Taylor and her fight for life starting in the 1970's when medical science was not as it is today. Ms. Jeejeebhoy is the daughter of Khursheed Jeejeebhoy who through trial and error provided groundbreaking research on long-term artificial feeding for patients who would otherwise die. Judy Taylor was diagnosed with a life threatening disease at the age of thirty-four. She could not eat life normal people could eat and without eating she would die. Most physicians and specialists she saw gave her no hope and recommended to her family that she be allowed to die. Judy would not let that happen-she wanted to live to be with her family and raise her daughters. When all medical specialists gave up, one man Dr. Khursheed Jeejeebhoy promised Judy he would keep her alive. Through trial and error and imagination he kept the promise. Ms. Jeejeebhoy's ability to write on such a tough subject amazed me, she was able to show compassion for the patient and family while at the same time provide credit to all the medical personnel that went above and beyond to help this patient. An amazing story about the extraordinary dedication of doctors who were willing to beat all odds, regardless of what others said. Initially I had some concerns regarding the writing in the earlier chapters, which described in detail Judy's medical complications. There were numerous medical terms that I felt the general public would not understand and it would deter them from finishing this incredible story. However, as one proceeds through the book the author began to explain the medical terms, which made for easier reading and understanding. This would be an excellent book for any family or patient to read who has the possibility of going through artificial long-term feedings. |
2: Buy It!
| Angelica | |
| $0.49 | |
| B0013CX3NK | |
| Amazon.com | |
| Angelica is a short story I wrote awhile ago. I was inspired to write it when I was a student. I worked in a daycare centre in a middle class area one year, and the way some parents neglected their children appalled me, in particular one parent who told her son and daughter she needed a vacation away from them. The memory of their acting out their sadness and confusion never left me. That experience combined with some of my own early memories gave rise to this story, which I wrote in February 1990. |