Teri Dillion

Author / Psychotherapist

At 35 and newly married, enjoying her flourishing career as a psychotherapist and comforting path as a Buddhist practitioner, Teri thought she had arrived at the satisfied life she had long wished for. But once diagnosed with ALS and told to get her affairs in order before facing total paralysis, Teri found herself pertly booted off all lofty perches of personal achievement and easy equanimity. In the months that follow, with her husband by my side, she set out in dizzying pursuit of an unlikely cure, traveling deeper into the byzantine landscapes of modern medicine and questionable promises of alternative healing. Grounded by skepticism as my disability grew, she attempted to court an elusive faith in a miraculous recovery while knocking ever-louder at the door of her own knowing.

From Teri, "I won’t lie; my journey with ALS has been harrowing. I never imagined becoming trapped in my own body in this way, especially with a condition that Western medicine seems to have scant interest in actively battling. Yet even though I haven’t found a miraculous physical recovery, this illness–along with the support of my husband, family, and community–has taught me how to be strong and persevere, and challenged me to cultivate gratitude in simple joys I once took for granted."

What’s more, having to retire at 36 allowed Teri time to reunite with her love for writing, a practice I had largely given up once I finished graduate school. In 2019 I began writing a memoir on finding resilience. Since she was largely paralyzed when she began, she ended up writing 90% of it with her eyes with the help of her eyegaze computer. In November 2020, No Pressure, No Diamonds: Mining for Gifts in Illness and Loss was published and widely available. https://www.teridillion.com/book.html

In October 2021, Teri took her life, going on her own terms, with her family and loved ones by her side.