The Bold, the Brave, and the Breathless

After a normal, healthy, full-term pregnancy, Margaret Moore's parents Anne and Terrence were shocked as a prolapsed umbilical cord left their daughter unable to breathe on her own. Margaret, nicknamed Meg, was not expected to live through the night and began to breathe on her own by the next day—a phenomenon that medical personnel deemed a miraculous recovery. Meg came home with a physical disability: Cerebral Palsy and permanent dependence on others for help with feeding, dressing, hygiene, and transfers to and from her wheelchair and walker. A speech impediment caused her to rely on a communication device to speak to others.

Meg's disability only added to the already chaotic Moore household. Along with having Meg's two older brothers, Sean and Brian, age three and four at the time of Meg's birth, Terrence had already been diagnosed with a rare form of stomach cancer, which later took his life just before Meg's second birthday. Raising the kids on her own, Anne was determined to teach Meg, Brian, and Sean to persevere through even the toughest of circumstances to reach their ambitions.

The Bold, the Brave, and the Breathless follows Meg from the time of her birth through her Long Meadow Elementary School graduation. Through granular levels of detail, Meg narrates her experiences of pursuing regular education and activities such as Girl Scouts, soccer, ice-skating, and snow tubing despite her physical limitations. She delves into the challenges that often come with seeking inclusion and acceptance, but she also highlights the joyous—and often hilarious—adventures of her childhood.

The story of Meg Moore and her family is meant to make you ponder how you, too, can reach your wildest ambitions and how your inner strength is one of the greatest factors enabling you to do so.