The Mountain Within [Frances Mae Sinclair-Kaspick]

At six she could peel an orange in seconds despite not having hands...

At fourteen she consented to having her feet amputated by her medical team...

At twenty-two she had risen out of poverty and dependency on social assistance, with a full-time job and her own apartment.

Frances Mae Sinclair-Kaspick, an Indigenous woman of personal strength and fierce determination, tells of her remarkable journey to a self-fulfilling, independent life, She grew up in inner city Winnipeg, facing the disadvantages inherent in physical disabilities from birth, poverty, and economic and cultural barriers. 

Her story is also about the advantages of having a large, loving family and the maternal figure of her Cree grandmother who raised her with unfaltering support and insistence that Frances not be "a quitter."

The book is one of profound inspiration, not just for others who face the challenges of physical disabilities, but also for all of us who, through Frances' personal account, can witness and learn from an indomitable human spirit.

Paperback, 280 pages