Sharon Eland-Lewis’ story is not just one of survival, but of triumph, and her upcoming book launch is a celebration of her extraordinary courage and determination.
George, Western Cape (18 August 2024) – Faced with a mountain of hardships, including abuse, homelessness, and life-threatening illness, she emerged from the depths of despair to find comfort and purpose in writing.
Raised by her grandparents in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, where she completed her matric at Acadia High, Sharon later married in Mossel Bay and had two children, but the reality of her matrimony was far from warm and loving.
Sharon walked out of her marriage after her husband became abusive towards her and left her two children in the care of her mother.
However, things went from bad to worse for Sharon, who decided to move to George but ended up being homeless and became fatally ill with MDR TB, which saw her fall into a coma and kidney failure.
But that wasn’t the end of Sharon, who, despite life’s hard blows, recovered in the Harry Comay hospital in George and went back to doing what she loves most – putting her thoughts and dreams on paper.
The mother of two wrote numerous poems which were published in the George Herald. After numerous inquiries from the public, journalist Michelle Pienaar introduced Sharon to Jeff, the owner of the Three Chameleons clubhouse, where she became part of a book club.
After finding a place of her own, Sharon immersed herself in writing with fervent passion, resulting in, “Slegs ‘n enkele kans”, her very own book.
The book has been published by The National Library of South Africa, an agency under the Department of Arts and Culture.
Although Sharon is vulnerable, extremely poor and a shack dweller, she is a very passionate library patron. The library staff of George’s Libraries, members of the Community Programme at the Publishing National Library of South Africa, and well-known writer and poet Diana Ferrus all came together to help Sharon’s book come to life from writing to its successful publishing.
As Sharon is deaf, all correspondence to and from the National Library came through the office of the George Library Manager.
The book launch is scheduled for 11 am on August 21st at the George Library. Adding to this momentous occasion, Slegs ‘n enkele kans has also been selected for the Afrikaans category of the Funda Mzantsi Reading Competition, to be held in George from September 23 to 27, 2024.
Sharon expressed her heartfelt thanks to the George Municipality, the George Library staff and everyone who assisted her on her journey. She listed all the people she wanted to thank in the book.
Sources: George Municipality
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