Jeff Huxford sort of stumbled into becoming a writer/author. It was never something he imagined himself being or doing.
I practiced family medicine for 10 years back in northwest Indiana but was forced to retire after suffering a traumatic brain injury. I was dealing with a lot of emotions following this as I struggled to find my “new normal.” It was suggested to me that I should start journaling what I was experiencing, and I found this to be helpful and therapeutic. The things I was struggling to verbalize seemed to come out easier when I wrote them.
Jeff eventually decided to share what he was journaling and started a blog, and this blog turned into a book.
I’d say that I've learned a lot throughout this journey, but one important thing I’ve learned is to not be shy in sharing your story. You may not feel like what you’ve been through can be of value or help someone else, but I can assure you there’s someone out there who needs to hear it.
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Jeff Huxford was a family medicine doctor in northwest Indiana for ten years before having to retire due to complications from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). He has since become a blogger, author, and speaker. In 2016, Jeff moved to Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife, Jacqui, and their two children, Jayse and Jenna. You can read his story here.
Thank you for sharing this with us because I was this close— to giving up! But somebody out there needs to hear from me my story. I’m the only one who can tell it properly because I’m the only one who’s been there from the beginning until the present moment and every single day in between; both good and bad. Both painful and precious; both terrible and terrific and the list goes on and on for miles at a stretch but I would rather put it in story form that I know can reach the one who is thinking about ending it all. The one who thinks it can’t be any worse and it doesn’t get better. This is why I am a writer and that is my target audience. I am also created to turn words into pictures that people can see and feel like they’re in a movie theater with me, experiencing the same thing that I did, do or have. Thank you for reminding me of my purpose as a writer.