FLAT OUT IN PIECES
Crippled by Concussion–An Athlete’s Journey Back
Author: Paul Suter
Paul Suter was an elite endurance athlete who went from competing in Ironman-distance triathlons to being unable to take his dog for a five-minute walk.
Despite suffering a serious concussion, he continued to train and compete until his exhausted adrenal system collapsed. Paul knew his body wasn’t working, but couldn’t convince the medical community that his illness actually existed. The ongoing search for a cure contributed to his depression and suffering; how could he continue to hope, when what he had didn’t fit into any doctor’s shoe box of remedies?
Paul’s relationship with his wife and training partner, Christine, was based on their mutual love of endurance sport. Over seven years, his illness and invisible disability threatened to destroy the bond that held them together. Paul’s search for recognition of his condition and for an effective treatment was a quest to restore not just himself but his marriage and their future.
- Non-fiction
- ISBN 978-1-7751659-0-3 (paperback)
- ISBN 978-1-7751659-1-0 (ebook)
- 232 pp, 5.5″ x 8.5″
- Published 2018
- Paperback: CA $18.95 (print) / US $14.95
- Ebook: CA $3.95 / US $2.95
Paul’s epic journey encompasses every human emotion of tenacity, perseverance and a relentless will to overcome his emotional and physical condition. After reading the book, there isn’t a comparison with athletic feats that are simply planned, calculated and choreographed. Paul never allowed himself to fail. Flat Out in Pieces is hard to believe but Paul’s conquest is real.
While this story is a detailed account of his struggle for athletic excellence and life-changing traumas that dashed that hope, there is far more to Paul’s story than what at first meets the reader’s eye. Flat Out in Pieces challenges us to think about change that seems imposed upon ourselves and the courage it takes to transform from deep woundedness and loss to new victories and life-affirming reasons to go on living.