'Everyone has a story': 9 local authors share life-changing stories in 'Epiphany'
They all have stories to share.
A two-time living organ donor.
A man whose simple act of kindness eventually turned a stranger into something much more.
A woman who says she survived sexual assault in her church.
A group of local authors have come together to write a book sharing their stories.
"Epiphany: Awaken to Your Truth" is a collection of nine stories addressing moments big and small that changed the authors' lives.
The book was put together by Cortney Martinelli, who hosted a book launch event recently at the Shine Educational Center in Brimfield. Martinelli tells the story of her own "epiphany" and also writes a narration of each author.
It is her third collaborative book, said Martinelli, who also has written books about other topics, including "Love, Reiki, Vibration" which became an Amazon best seller.
"Epiphany," which is independently published, is available on Amazon.
What is a collaborative book?
Martinelli said collaborative books allow each person to share their story. Writing a book can be intimidating, she said, and many first-time authors don't know where to begin.
"We recognize that everyone has a story, and we work with them to help them share it," she said. "Just writing it is so therapeutic and healing."
In this book, she said, every story has a common thread of an "epiphany" that changed the storyteller's life. Nine authors, all residents of Northeast Ohio, share their stories in "Epiphany." One of them writes under a pseudonym.
Losing her religion
In her story, "The Mask," Anna Ciano-Hendricks describes how she says she survived being molested as a child. Ciano-Hendricks, who was raised in the Jehovah's Witnesses church, said her parents didn't believe her and accused her of causing problems.
When she went to counseling at the church, she said she was told not to speak of her experience, and was told the matter would be handled internally. However, she said, she watched as her assailant was promoted to a position of ministry.
She writes of doing her research outside of the Jehovah's Witnesses to "connect with God the Divine," but continued to worship with the Jehovah's Witnesses because of the church's connection to her parents and long-time friends.
She finally decided to walk away from the faith for good when her daughter fell in love with a man who was not a Jehovah's Witness and her daughter left the church. Ciano-Hendricks said she believed the church would want her to shun her daughter over her relationship, something she couldn't bring herself to do.
Her daughter, Skyler, recently got married, and Ciano-Hendricks' extended family, including her parents, did not attend the wedding.
She has gone on to share her story with survivors of abuse. She said she wants young people who have been shunned by their families to know that they are not alone.
Giving a piece of herself
Cindy Ferrell said she literally gave part of herself so another person could live — twice.
The Copley resident said in 2017, she learned on Facebook that a child was in need of a liver transplant. Because she was a nurse, she knew that a compatible donor could donate a portion of their liver, which would grow to full size in the recipient. Because the donation was a private one, Ferrell was able to stay in touch with the donor's mom through social media.
In 2022, she saw a video of a 10-year-old girl holding a sign stating that her father needed a kidney. Ryan, a 45-year-old father of two, was at 4% kidney function and needed 12 hours of dialysis a day to survive.
She said nearly 6,000 live kidney transplants took place in 2022, and she hopes to encourage others to consider kidney donation. She wrote her story four weeks after her transplant.
"I feel as vibrant as ever, having no untoward side effects," she said.
Counseling on a moving truck
Vicki Voth-Shane has owned her business, Two Men and a Truck. But something was nagging at her, she said. She never wanted to own a moving company. Instead, she had always dreamed of being a counselor and helping people through their problems.
But then, the Suffield resident realized that's exactly what her business was doing.
"I was helping people with one of the top stressors in life, moving," she said.
Many times, she said, her clients told her stories of divorces, financial crises or deaths in the family that had sparked their move.
"I realized I was helping people through a very stressful time in their life," she said.
Acts of kindness change man's life
Ted Senf of Hudson said his story, "And Then Some," focuses on learning the importance of random acts of kindness.
He said he was inspired by a woman's story of using "and then some," which she said was doing something extra for someone with no expectation of a reward. He liked the concept and started incorporating it into his corporate training classes.
One day, Senf had lunch with a friend who worked in a doctor's office. The friend mentioned that one of the nurses in the practice was having a bad day, and Senf said "the thought came to me" to send flowers to the nurse anonymously. The friend confessed to the nurse that she suspected Senf might be the anonymous sender, and she sent him a thank you note. The correspondence continued, they met in person, and Senf and the nurse eventually got married.
Although they have since gone their separate ways, Senf said they remain good friends.
"I got to spend 20 years of my life with an incredible woman," he said.
Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: 9 local authors share life-changing stories in 'Epiphany'
