Carole J Williams

Carole J Williams' eclectic career spanned teaching; managing complex city projects for the Columbus (Ohio) Chamber of Commerce; serving two terms on the city board of education; publishing the city's business newspaper; and coordinating the healthcare practice group for one of Columbus' premier public relations firms. When in her early fifties, total paralysis from Guillain-Barre Syndrome thrust her and co-author husband, Stuart W Williams, into a year-long struggle with the rare disease and the equally complicated healthcare system. His professional career as CEO of three children's hospitals, including 22 years at Columbus Children's Hospital, helped them understand the dynamics of hospital organization and the many challenges facing hospital personnel. Speaking engagements with physical therapy students in Ohio and Arizona prompted the Williams' first book, Chaos in Body and Mind, with the hope of enlightening caregivers to the complex dilemmas of immobility, dependence on a ventilator, and suffering "locked-in" syndrome.