Life Doesn't Always Turn Out How You Plan It
One is the mother of one of the greatest Olympians in history, and the other is the mother of a recovering heroin addict, now healthy and thriving. What do they have in common? Both inspiring women are appearing live on The Carolyn Gable Show this Thursday, May 28, 2009 on www. wsRadio. com at 9pm EST/6pm PST.
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) May 28, 2009
One is the mother of one of the greatest Olympians in history, and the other is the mother of a recovering heroin addict, now healthy and thriving. What do they have in common? Both are single moms, educators, and have recently released memoirs that detail their respective journeys. Certainly, their journeys have taken them down differing paths, but both women show how a mother's love for her children can help elevate them to new heights.
Both inspiring women are appearing live on The Carolyn Gable Show this Thursday, May 28, 2009 on www. wsRadio. com at 9pm EST/6pm PST. A single mom herself, Carolyn Gable has created this program to inspire other single moms all over the world.
"The burdens on single mothers can be overwhelming," says Carolyn. "And while on the surface, the experiences of Debbie and Libby are completely different, they are both examples of how a mother's love and determination bring families together."
Deborah Phelps is widely recognized as an innovative, energetic and talented leader and master teacher with more than three decades of teaching and administrative experience. The proud mother of three children and grandmother of two, Ms. Phelps is the Principal of Windsor Middle School in the Baltimore County Public Schools system. A highly sought after motivational speaker and recent author, Ms. Phelps addresses a range of topics related to education, child development and life lessons.
Ms. Phelps began her career in education as a teacher at Havre de Grace Middle School in 1974 and evolved her experiences from teacher to team leader to department chair, which has served as the foundation to her successful role in administration. Over the course of her distinguished career, Ms. Phelps has developed a state-of-the-art food science lab, designed and implemented award-winning nutrition and food science curriculum and has been actively involved in the successful launch of two middle schools.
Her dedication and commitment to excellence in the field of education has earned Ms. Phelps honors including Baltimore County Public School's Teacher of the Year Finalist, two-time Maryland Family & Consumer Science Teacher of the Year, and Baltimore County's "Baby Boomer of the Year" (2004).
Beyond the school halls, Ms. Phelps is also affectionately known as a "swim mom" to three accomplished swimmers; her daughters Hilary (University of Richmond) and Whitney (U. S. Olympic Trials), and son, Michael (14-time Olympic gold medalist). She recently added "author" to her resume with the release of her first book, A Mother for All Seasons: A Memoir (William Morrow/HarperCollins; On Sale: April 7, 2009; $25.99), in which she reveals the universal themes of her life story that is rich with struggle, humor, hope, advice and passion and rallies readers to cheer for all of our children at every stage of their growth and in every endeavor.
Libby Cataldi, in her new memoir on her son's addiction, reveals many of the same themes, yet in a completely different setting. Addiction does not discriminate. It can poison the most educated, accomplished and loving families.
Libby holds a doctorate in education and was, for 17 years, head of The Calverton School in Maryland, where her two sons, Jeff and Jeremy Bratton, attended. While she is disciplining other parents' kids and putting in long days at this private school, Jeff is becoming a drug addict. How could this happen? He made good grades and played sports and even went on to Boston University - all the while a functional addict. Gradually, Jeff's drug use that started when he was in his early teens, turned dangerously to heroin, an addiction that usually results in death.
Now in her harrowing and moving memoir, Stay Close: A Mother's Story of Her Son's Addiction (St. Martin's; May 1; $24.95), Libby Cataldi reveals what a child's drug addiction is like from a mother's point of view and honestly examines what her family did wrong, how they abetted Jeff's addiction when they didn't mean to, how their family was torn apart - and how it is now, finally, mending.
STAY CLOSE is also, at times, an addict's account of that downward spiral. Jeff contributes his own point-of-view and details what was really going on, which is often quite different from what his parents think. In addition, Jeff's doctor, Patrick MacAfee, who has been working with addicts for forty years, provides an Afterword.
For more information, please contact David Rohr at 847.528.9990. For more information on the host of the program, please visit www. carolyngable. com.
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