100 copies of Back to Me,
given away.
Putting the book into stroke support group circles across DC, Maryland, and Virginia — so the next survivor doesn’t have to figure it out alone.
Nobody handed me a book by someone who had already been through it.
When I had my stroke, I wrote the book I needed and couldn’t find. Back to Me: A Woman’s Triumph Over Stroke and Loss is my memoir about relearning my own life — the losses nobody warns you about, and the slow work of coming back.
This project is about putting it into the hands of the people sitting in support group circles right now. One hundred books. One hundred people who don’t have to figure it out alone.
A dedicated print run of "Back to Me" — every copy earmarked for giving, none for sale. The manuscript is written, edited, and published; the money buys copies and nothing else.
Hand-delivered or mailed in batches to stroke and aphasia support groups, hospital rehab units, caregiver groups, and public library branches across DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Every group that takes copies gets an offer: Judy will come and talk. Not a reading — a conversation, survivor to survivor, about what recovery actually looks like.
Every dollar buys copies and delivery. Nothing else.
Funding pays for the print run, shipping from the printer, mailing supplies and postage for groups outside driving range, and fuel for in-person deliveries around the DMV. I take no salary from this project and no royalty on these copies — they are given away. If printing comes in under budget, the remainder becomes more copies, not overhead.
If you run a stroke or aphasia support group, a rehab unit, a caregiver group, or library programming in DC, Maryland, or Virginia — tell me about your circle. Once the project is funded, copies go out to the groups on this list at no cost, and if you’d like, I’ll come talk with your group. Not a reading, a conversation. Want copies sooner? They’re available to order today →
This project runs on micro-grant funding, and modest dollars go a long way: a single $1,000 grant covers the entire run — printing and delivery for all 100 copies. If your foundation, business, or congregation would like to sponsor copies — or the whole run — I’d love to hear from you.
Sponsor the projectBack to Me
An unflinching, hope-filled account of stroke recovery — the vulnerability, the tiny steps forward, the faith that carried her, and the people who held the safety net. Written by a survivor, for the people sitting where she sat.