What Next You Bastard ?
A friend recently handed me Ken Hall's business card & recommended I get in touch as he has a story to share. I don't research, I don't manage to read a great deal anymore after MS lesions have interfered with my frontal lobe. But nothing I feel could have prepared me for Ken's story.
On the surface, pick up his business card, Ken has 9 published titles under his belt, he appears to be a experienced best selling author. But what I am discovering as I meet many authors on this journey with Everything Fraser Coast, is you can never judge a book by its cover, & you can never judge an author by their book.
Listen to podcast Episode 101 here.
Meet Ken Hall. He is now 80, soon to celebrate 81 years young. Married for over 50 years, an extensive family here in the Fraser Coast, including beautiful grand & great grand children, But Ken has an amazing story worth sharing. He is inspirational for his resilience for not only his only medical challenges, mental challenges but also the situations those challenges placed him in. Let me explain more, though I do hope you listen to Ken on the the podcast tell his story in his own words.
Born in 1940, a time when WWII is still troubling the world and causing injury and death to many men. An era when everyone was poor. Life was tough. Ken was born and in his early childhood diagnosed with having no immune system. He puzzled doctors. There were no answers only advice that he had a limited time to live. By the end of his first decade, Ken was seriously ill and suffered brain injury from nearly dying. He lost ability to read and write, and ended his education. Life became a daily routine of doctors attending to him at home, where he lay in his bedroom, with only the distant children playing at the neighboring school & his radio for entertainment. Ken was bed bound and isolated.
Around the age of 11 years, Ken's health became so bad, he was admitted into hospital and
given his last rights. Family were advised to say their good byes. But Ken didn't die. He spent over a year in hospital, which when he turned 12, was spent in the adult ward. For that year when he was able to leave his bed, he would console his fellow patients, all old men, men far older than the 12 year old boy he was. This period is hard to comprehend for this day and age. It is hard to understand how a 12 year old was comforting many old men, in their final hours, as they lost their own health battles. How this trauma would impact anyone is immeasurable but only a credit to Ken and the resilience he built.
In retirement, Ken has now published 9 books. He has overcome is literacy challenges. He still lives with an inability to read and write. He is living proof that there is always a way to overcome obstacles, challenges.
Ken Hall can also be contacted on 0427 247 513, or email wnyb@bigond.com .
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Everything Fraser Coast, positive storyteller of the Fraser Coast Region, contact Jussy if you would like to be featured. It only costs your time. Jussy 0497 733773
