A Hard Chance : Sailing into the Heart of Love

by Tom Gallant

Tom and Melissa Gallant sat in their car at an intersection outside Lunenburg one early summer evening in 1992. After a decade of romance and adventure, they were at a crossroads in their lives. Melissa wanted to settle down and start a business. Tom wanted to sail their schooner around the world. They had decided to go their separate ways. As they entered the intersection, one notorious for brutal accidents, their car was hit by a bus. When Tom woke up in the Fisherman's Memorial Hospital and asked about Melissa, all anyone could say was, "It doesn't look good." She was in intensive care in Halifax. She was in a coma, being kept alive by machines.

This is the story of what happened in the months that followed. It is also the story of a love affair full of high seas adventure and romance, of life lived far from the conventions of polite society. It is the tale of two lives shattered in an instant, forever changed by an unmerciful twist of fate. Melissa's brain had suffered a catastrophic trauma. When she woke from the coma, she would not know who she was, or who Tom was. She would be unable to talk, walk or feed herself.

Theirs was a love facing the greatest of challenges. This is a book about redemption conferred by accepting the hardest things in life with an open heart.

Tom Gallant is a playwright, musician, scriptwriter and journalist. Tom's poetry and prose has been included in magazines and anthologies. Tom has logged fifty thousand miles of deep water sailing in his Nova Scotian schooner. For a decade he has been a caregiver to his injured wife.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Tom Gallant is a songwriter, playwright, and actor whose memoir, A Hard Chance: Sailing Into the Heart of Love, won an Atlantic Book Award. He lives near Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

Reviews

[Luciana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story... in this book, Tom shows us that the importance of living life to its fullest fulfills dreams & love. He also shows how life can change so rapidly, but again, through persistence & determination, one step at a time, you can find what you are looking for.

[Allison Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good story. Beautifully written and honest.

[Inamarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wonderful! Love the offset of past and present, happy and sad times. I found it 2 days ago and could not put it down. Will read it again, as there are so many wonderful descriptions, but in the first read one always want to know "what happened next" , and in the second read you can enjoy the wonder of the words again.
I love memoirs, and this is one of the best I have read so far. Wish the photos was in colour !

[Mary Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tome & Melissa are on the verge of going their separate ways when they are, literally, hit by a bus. A story of love, courage, and sailing.

[Dena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written memoir that juxtaposes the love of sailing and freedom of the seas with the trials of dealing with severe brain injury.
Touches your heart!