Category: Books

Memoir: ‘I Can See Clearly Now – the soundtrack of my life’ by Colleen Ashby

Type 1 diabetic, fitness fanatic, dancing queen, Canasta champion; only some of the tags to describe Colleen Ashby. Daughter, sister to five brothers, wife and mother of three sons further define Colleen.

Add to that, she is a heart transplant recipient who is now visually impaired, with only 5% sight and you realise there is much more to learn.

Although very physically fit, problems with her heart began to plague her and slow her down. Twelve stents later, the thirteenth was unlucky and resulted in open heart surgery.

It was soon obvious however; her heart was not going to last much longer and Colleen was given a new heart but her sight was taken away. Due to severe blood loss during the surgery, Colleen lost 95% of her vision. She is grateful she still has 5%.

“I’d have been really pissed off if I’d lost it all but 5%? I can cope” – Colleen Ashby.

With a bucketful of hope, perseverance, gratitude and the unwavering support of friends and family, Colleen has navigated her new normal, discovering what makes her tick and what her purpose in life is.
Funny, down-to-earth, harrowing and at times, heartbreaking, ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ is the rollercoaster ride of a woman who continues to defy expectations.

Colleen lives in the Perth Hills, in Western Australia. A former high school special-needs educational assistant and fitness instructor; she is also a type 1 diabetic.

With her heart failing, Colleen was finally put on the transplant list and had a heart transplant in January 2017. It wasn’t something normally offered to type 1 diabetics. While she gained a new heart, Colleen lost 95% of her sight. This hasn't stopped her indomitable spirit or living life to its fullest.

She is an advocate for DonateLife WA, has been a ‘poster-girl’ for Vision Australia, a participant in the Transplant Games and an avid supporter of Transplant Australia.

Colleen is sharing her story of resilience in the hope it will help, inspire and encourage people to appreciate what they have and what they can achieve. With her experience, knowledge and zest for life, Colleen wants to be a mentor and motivational speaker.

Colleen is available for interviews and informal chats on all media outlets.

To schedule, please contact us on editor@footprintspublishing.com.au

or call Claudette Pope on 08 92952192

About Footprints Publishing Pty Ltd

Footprints is a start-up company based in Perth, Western Australia.

The company started with the intention to demystify the publishing journey for prospective writers. The realisation that few writers knew what was involved in getting their manuscript to being a book was the driver to personalise the process and take authors on their journey from origin to destination.

While memoirs, women’s fiction and children’s books feature in Footprints publishing to date, engaging stories from other genres are considered; it’s all about the story.

Book Release - Perth 17.05.2022

How would you feel if you were declared legally blind? Would you be able to laugh, could you see the funny side of life?

Following heart transplant surgery, this is what happened to Colleen Ashby and yes, she does see the funny side of life.

In this, her second book, Colleen keeps us entertained with anecdotes full of humour and quirky incidents. In an entertaining way, she also educates us, giving the reader food for thought, advice on how to behave around people with limited vision.

When launching Ya Gotta Laugh Ron Hooten, the CEO of Vision Australia, described Colleen’s writing as gritty, honest and laugh out loud. He declared it a great read.

Little more than a year ago, Colleen released her first book I Can See Clearly Now, telling her life story in its raw truth and honesty relaying day-to-day experiences, along with a few obstacles she has had to deal with; Type 1 diabetes since age 9, leading a very active life until the pivotal point which changed her life’s trajectory, a heart transplant. With her new heart not wanting to start up, she hovered between life and death for 4 days. Waking up on day 5 she was legally blind.

Colleen admits she has had my moments when life got her down and thought it was all too hard but knew if she stayed in that state of mind, it would soon become her way of life. As she said, ‘It’s OK to visit feeling down for a while and have a cup of tea, just don’t make it your home.’

Ya Gotta Laugh is an easy read, you feel you are you are sitting on a couch talking with her as she has you laughing, crying, and inspired at the same time. Colleen wants to uplift and inspire people with her words both written and spoken. She wants to show people, even facing adversity, there is a way of having a fulfilling, fun-filled life, a life of wholeness and meaning.

About Footprints Publishing Pty Ltd

Footprints is a start-up company based in Perth, Western Australia.

The company started with the intention to demystify the publishing journey for prospective writers. The realisation that few writers knew what was involved in getting their manuscript to being a book was the driver to personalise the process and take authors on their journey from origin to destination.

While memoirs, women’s fiction and children’s books feature in Footprints publishing to date, engaging stories from other genres are considered; it’s all about the story.