LEEANNE MARIE STEPHENSON

BIOGRAPHY OF LEEANNE MARIE STEPHENSON
RN and Author of
�A PRESCRIPTION FOR LOVE�

My introduction into the world of medical professionals started at the age of six. I was diagnosed with �brittle diabetes�, and spent the majority of my childhood in the hospital. Doctors, nurses, and nutritionists impressed me with their patience, sensitivity and positive can do attitudes. They taught me how to balance my food intake and insulin injections so I could lead a �somewhat� normal life. The professionalism these people displayed made me realize that I wanted to be part of this care giving community. Therefore, I became a Registered Nurse. After graduating with honors from Mercy Central School of Nursing, (Grand Rapids, MI), I secured a position as a Registered Nurse at Blodgett Hospital, (Grand Rapids, MI). Over the next ten years, I married my high school sweetheart and started a family. Periodically I changed jobs to meet the demands of parenthood and family life.
Then my life took a dramatic turn as I was diagnosed with kidney failure due to my diabetes. The prognosis was less than promising. As my physical condition deteriorated, I was forced to give up my career as a nurse. Fatigue and weakness encompassed my entire world as I underwent dialysis treatments. Once again, I was on the receiving end of medical care. Desperate and determined to still be part of this wonderful profession, I started writing a romance novel based on the experiences I had encountered as a nurse. When the days that lie ahead of me seemed impossible to face, I did not allow my tears to compromise my strength. Instead of giving up, during the darkest time in my life, I drew on the love that surrounded me from my wonderful husband and family to write this loving story. When I wrote, I was released from my physical problems and taken back into the world of nursing, which I loved so much. Romantic stories can always release us from the problems of real life. They send us into a fantasy world where our imaginations can soar. I strove to take my readers and myself into that world. Thus was born my book, �A PRESCRIPTION FOR LOVE�.
This book is so very special because it represents the strong love I had surrounding me, and what I could accomplish because of it, during the lowest point in my life.
The one driving force in my life was to be there for my family, especially my precious children. I had to continue and be a strong role model for them. I demonstrated to them that when adversity is overwhelming, you still have to endure. Getting ahead in a difficult situation requires an avid faith in oneself. I did just that by reaching deep inside myself and drawing on my core values of perseverance and unfaltering resolve to overcome the obstacles in my life and achieve one of my dreams!
After a year on dialysis, I was told I could have a kidney transplant. My wonderful brother stepped forward and gave me the gift of life. From that moment on, my whole world changed for the better and I eagerly embraced this second chance at life. When I felt well enough, I set about getting my romance story published, so I could be an inspirational example of what can be accomplished when life seems overwhelmingly hopeless!