Claire Smith 
Falling into Now 
Memories of Sport, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Education

When Claire reflects on her life now in the opening chapter, she mentions that her right leg is in a brace. Readers are left wondering what happened. Why is she grateful to be able to walk only a few steps? The answer is gradually revealed over the course of the memoir as Claire writes about her equestrian life and the years following its sudden end on September 13, 1997. While she chronicles her past, her story weaves into and out of the now.

Although Claire feels that she will never completely let go of the successes—or of the crushing disappointments—that accentuated her time in the equestrian world, this memoir is about so much more. It’s about being driven to pursue a goal. It’s about a life-changing loss. It’s about arduous recovery. It’s about a life evolving into something completely unexpected.

A compelling story of determination, resilience, and persistence in the face of tremendous loss, this memoir is bound to be inspiring, particularly for the many individuals who are forced to confront life-altering challenges.

About the author

Claire Smith is the author of many articles that have been published in a variety of academic and popular journals. On several occasions, she has been a keynote speaker at regional, as well as at national events. Claire sits on the Board of the Ontario Brain Injury Association and is a member of the Leeds and Grenville Accessibility Advisory Committee. Previously, she was a Board member of the Wings of Phoenix, whose mandate it is to raise funds for survivors of head injury and was on the Board of the Brockville YMCA. She lives in Merrickville, Ontario with her partner Michael.