Offthebookshelf.com

Ken Snyder

Ken Snyder, father of 4 and grandfather to 5. I have been writing as a hobby as well as an adjunct to my career in the Aircraft, Aerospace and Military fields as a metallurgist and exotic materials procurement specialist.

I have been writing full time for the past three years. An unfortunate meeting between my motorcycle and a truck left me unable to return to my regular career in 1990, due to a fractured skull, broken neck, fractured lumbar vertebrae, fractured left knee, ankle and femur, shattered right fibula, knee and ankle, and 20% of the skin and tissue removed from my left side. This tale would not seem remarkable save for being pronounced dead twice on the operating table. Plus the fact that I am fully recovered and walk unassisted, with few scars.

Whatever lesson I was supposed to learn from this I ignored. On October 10 of 2000 I was treated to a diagnosis of end stage inoperable head and neck cancer. An Oncologist/Hematologist and the Dean of Cardio-Thoracic surgery at a major Southern California University Medical Center assured me - rather emphatically, in fact - that I would not see Christmas that year. Obviously, the doctors were unaware how powerful my Higher Power really is (and how much He doesn't want me up there yet!). I have just celebrated my eighth year cancer free and my 12th year of prosthetic knees that had once been deemed impossible for injuries as severe as mine. P.S.: The knees were supposed to last no more than 5 or 6 years. Once again, the "Big Guy" has been working overtime on my behalf.

At the insistence of my daughter, who made the brilliant observation that by submitting my stories, anybody who thinks they ARE good will "give you money", as she put it. My fingers are crossed, requests have been forwarded 'upstairs', and my children have never let me down. I believe I am still here due to their prayers, rather than mine. I hereby dedicate all success to them.

Join or Log In to send this author a message.