The Three Women Who Changed My Life

John Cronin's idyllic early life on a farm in Ontario, Canada, was altered forever when the polio he contracted at age four left him a paraplegic. Then, when he was studying at the University of Waterloo, retinitis pigmentosa blinded him. Deeply depressed, he began to pursue a life of travel, always searching for the elusive goals of fulfillment and happiness.

From his childhood to the present day, John invites us to ride along with him, from the lowest depths to the loftiest heights. There are vivid accounts of extreme physical suffering, deep disappointments, countless frustrations, and having to deal with permanent and worsening physical limitations. Yet he traveled between Canada and Jamaica numerous times over many years, smuggling concentrated marijuana oil back home until he was eventually busted. His stint in a Jamaican prison was mercifully brief, but the description of it will make your skin crawl.

Then, just when John was about to give up on Jamaica, he met the love of his life there. Gillian White and he were married in 1992, and she came to live with him in rural Ontario. The last few chapters of the book are suffused with his boundless gratitude and joy.

This book is his moving tribute to Gillian, his mother, and his sister, the three women who changed his life.