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West Nile Diary: One Couple's Triumph Over a Deadly Disease

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It was in mid-August of 2007 that Rick Gibson got the mosquito bite - a most unexceptional thing to happen at a picnic in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. But days later he was in the throes of such mysterious and disparate symptoms, it took a while for doctors to come up with a diagnosis - West Nile Neurological Disease (WNND).

Over the next months his wife Kathleen Gibson rode the roller coaster ride of WNND with him. In West Nile Diary she tells their story from the vantage point of his hospital bedside in Yorkton and the Wascana Rehabilitation Center in Regina. In journal entries, emails to friends and family, newspaper columns, and articles, Gibson journeys us through a six-month interlude that changes the course of this couple's life forever.

The book does more than just tell a story, though. For in the telling, Gibson touches on many topics, among them the possibility of divine healing, the purpose of sickness and pain, the beautiful people found in unexpected places, the importance of family, the need for advocacy, what really matters in life, and the key role that faith in God plays when handling such crises.

Gibson (long a successful freelance writer and editor), puts her skills to good use in this memoir. She displays the sensitivity to beauty of a poet. Her penchant for detail is journalistic. There are passages of welcome comic relief where she combines an eye for the humorous with the timing of a comedian. Her skillful combination of all of the above result in a story that takes us past circumstances to an understanding of heart truths. Though the pirates of West Nile (her description of the disease) could have scuttled the Gibsons' boat, they didn't. In fact, just the opposite happened.

This inspirational story will not only encourage you to keep hope and determination alive in the worst circumstances, but will also educate you about West Nile Neurological Disease. Don't be surprised if after reading it, you find yourself at the local drugstore or supermarket loading up on mosquito repellent.