Author Greta Emling brings Phyllis Klenk’s story of survival against the odds, hosting a presentation, question-and-answer, and book signing, 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 24, Independence Township Library, 6495 Clarkston Road.
“There are always a thousand questions,” said Emling, author of “Wounded Trapped and Voiceless… All Things Are Possible.”
“There’s a great deal of interest in the idea of coming out of a coma, out-of -body experiences, mistaken diagnosis,” Greata said. “People are concerned.”
The book chronicles Klenk’s experiences in 1991, when she was in a coma. She was legally deemed to be a vegetable, but heard and understood what was said around her. She also shares lessons she learned out of her body, walking and talking with God.
‘I hope readers will be keenly aware that patients diagnosed as coma or vegetable can be clearly aware and processing the things that are going on around them,? Emling said. ‘I also hope to raise awareness about the need for a strong patient advocate. The closest loved ones are often in a fog and unable to be a strong advocate for the patient.?
Emling graduated from Port Huron Northern High School in 1972, and went on to St. Clair County Community College for one year, tranferring to Ferris State College where she obtained a degree in Allied Health.
She and her husband, Peter Emling, moved to Oxford in December 1999.
She met Klenk, who lived down the road from her, in 2003. Finding her story beyond belief, she began to keep notes of their conversations, which she used to write the book.
Klenk grew up on a family farm in Deckerville, Mich. and attended Central Michigan University, earning a degree in Special Education.
In 1965, she began her teaching career in Farmington. She currently lives in Oxford with her husband, Mike.
For more information, call the library at 248-625-2212 or check gretaemling.com