Those who know me well know that I am a book lover and reading is my favorite thing to do. I could spend hours in a bookstore or library and I'm always looking for interesting books to read, particularly biographies and here I want to tell you about an upcoming book I am excited about. It is called Crossroads and written by Kaleb Dahlgren.
To start off, I'll tell you about the author. Kaleb Dahlgren is a student and athlete from Saskatoon, Canada who has played ice hockey for Junior teams the Notre Dame hounds and the Humboldt Broncos and York University. Kaleb has had Type 1 Diabetes since he was four years old and found Dahlgren's Diabeauties, an advocacy program to help children with diabetes know that they are not alone and people are out there looking for a cure.On April 6, 2018, the Humboldt Broncos hockey team were on their way to a game when their bus collided with a semi-trailer truck. Tragically, 16 people were killed and 13 people were seriously injured. Kaleb is one of the 13 survivors. After the accident, there was an outpouring of love and support for the Humboldt Broncos from all over the world. Hockey is only a moderately popular sport here in Australia but there are many players, fans and people who sent messages, donated money and did what they could to support the 29 families affected by the tragedy.
I heard about the accident on the news and this is how I first heard about the Humboldt Broncos and Kaleb Dahlgren. In Crossroads, Kaleb tells the story of his life. He talks about his childhood, living with Type 1 Diabetes, his time with the Humboldt Broncos and recovering from severe head trauma he suffered in the accident and his journey up to the end of summer in 2019. This book explores several themes like overcoming adversity and reveals the challenges Kaleb has faced all his life and his journey since that heartbreaking day in 2018. Kaleb announced the book earlier this week with a post on Instagram and Twitter. He originally turned down the idea to write a book but decided to do it after hearing his university professor say, "If you want to make a difference in this world, it starts with you!" That is actually great advice we all should listen to. He describes the experience of writing as challenging, emotional, cathartic and enlightening and I'm sure it must have been. As a writer myself, I know how physically and mentally draining it can be. It is hard work so it's amazing that Kaleb took this on and completed a book!
I have been following him on social media for a while now and through his posts, interviews and public speaking, I can tell he is an incredibly strong, positive and great person who many people are lucky to call a friend and would love to have him on their side. He is a young guy who has been through a lot in his life but through it all he has remained strong and resilient and committed to reaching his goals and helping people. Kaleb hopes to make a difference in someones life by sharing his story and he will. He has already helped so many people, not just in Canada but in other countries and is a great role model and just a wonderful person.
Kaleb, congratulations on the book! Good on you for getting out of your comfort zone and taking on this challenge. You are talented, smart, kind and full of passion. You are an amazing person who continues to do amazing things.
If you want to read something inspiring, I highly recommend this book. Crossroads by Kaleb Dahlgren will be released on March 16th. You can pre-order a copy here. https://www.harpercollins.ca/9781443462877/?utm_source=aps&utm_medium=athrhcweb&utm_campaign=aps or on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Crossroads-Tragedy-Resilience-Humboldt-Bronco/dp/144346287X I've searched online and it's not yet available in Australia, hopefully it will be soon. I will keep you updated. Kalep is donating a portion of the proceeds to STARS air ambulance.
Have a great weekend everyone!
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