The Brow of Dawn

Catherine Edward first noticed the unusual bodily sensations in November 1990. Running errands on a cold afternoon, she was struck by the feeling that her left side was burning hot and her right side icy cold. She felt as if a plumb line had been dropped from the centre of her forehead. The CBC journalist spent the next year and a half trying to determine what was wrong with her. Finally, in 1992, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Up until that point, Edward had defined herself as a productive and energetic writer and mother. Now she was a woman with MS. The Brow of Dawn tells the story of one person’s struggle with a crippling degenerative disease. Based on daily journal entries that Edward wrote under the guidance of her Halifax neurologist, Dr. Jock Murray, this courageous first-person account will make readers cry and laugh out loud. The Brow of Dawn is not just a diary about a disease; it is a recipe for living life to the fullest.

This moving account tells the story of how MS, an unpredictable disease, has sent one woman on a different path. Writing with great clarity and the ability to meet the issues around MS in an honest, forthright, and engaging style, Catherine Edward grapples with the day-to-day truth of the disease, all the while maintaining her courage and sense of humor. To assist her memory of the progression of the disease between visits to her doctor, she wrote diary-like reports. After receiving one set of notes, her doctor wrote back to her, suggesting that she write a book from which others could benefit.