{"product_id":"9781847470089","title":"A Collection Of My Thoughts","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e by Anna Ballard\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e978 1 84747 008 9\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN 13:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 2006\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 226\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDescription\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis insightful book takes you on a journey through the feelings of mental health sufferers and the road to recovery. She provides an emotive understanding of depression and seeks to eliminate the stigma related to it. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Anna Ballard has compiled a wide range of creative poems to give you insight into her depression. She suffered severely for at least ten years and some improvement in her condition, set off a creative spark in her. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBook Extract\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e I was born and brought up in the Vale of Evesham, in the heart of England. As the youngest of four children (I have three older brothers) I was some what spoiled particularly by my father. However, as the youngest I spent my childhood striving to keep up with my siblings and this nurtured a very competitive spirit within me.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn consequence at school this spirit drove me forward and I became a high achiever gaining straight A grades at both O and A level. I was also very fortunate in that I was athletic. To begin with I was a fine swimmer and tennis player reaching county standard in both but when the swimming started to wane I transferred my efforts into canoeing. The village in which I lived had its own canoe club and the opportunities were there for the taking. My canoeing career spanned almost 20 years and I represented my country at four World Championships with my best result being 12 th place. Sadly I don't canoe anymore, except recreationally, but in order to satisfy my competitiveness I still playtennis two or three times a week. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring all these years in competitive sport I continued with my academic studies. I attended the University of Birmingham reading Biochemistry and was awarded a 1 st Class honours degree followed by my PhD. I also gained two scholarships and received the RT Jones Prize which is awarded to a first year undergraduate who is outstanding in scholarship, personality and contribution to the life of the University as a whole. After University I spent the next 12 years doing medical research mainly looking at mutant strains of Hepatitis B. Again I was very successful as demonstrated by the 15 papers published during that time. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSince 1980 I have been supported my husband who is himself a canoeing Olympian and who now joins me on the tennis courts. We have two children aged 13 and 10 and we live in a rural area just outside Lichfield to the north of Birmingham. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chipmunkapublishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47038135271664,"sku":"9781847470089","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781847470089_p0.jpg?v=1763747875","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781847470089","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}