It was 1969 when author Kevin Garrison was diagnosed with cancer. Not long after that, Garrison’s doctor informed him his right foot needed to be amputated. In that moment, Garrison knew his life would be changed forever.

In his true story of survival, Garrison shares his incredible journey facing uncertainties and anger, struggling with emotional and physical pain, and fighting fear as he moved further away from his normal routine and into the world of the permanently disabled. As he chronicles the events leading up to his loss, his recuperation, and the adoption of a prosthetic foot, he poignantly details his true feelings, triumphs, setbacks, and positive choices as he learns how to focus on his abilities instead of his disabilities. Through his exploration into his deepest, most personal thoughts, Garrison illustrates a descriptive and sometimes shockingly funny journey as he discovers what it is like to be an amputee and what it really means for his love life and his future career.

It’s Just a Matter of Balance shares an eye opening glimpse into the inspiring life of Garrison, who demonstrates to others that with genuine acceptance of our fate, we can finally begin to live the life we were meant to have.

1 As we got ready to land in El Paso, I noticed what a strange sight it was. The desert looked as if some giant alien vacuum device had sucked up everything green with some color-sucking contraption. All you could see from the plane were a million shades of brown, from the lightest barely tan to the darkest almost black.

There was a strange beauty to it, I thought. The expanse of it was pierced through the middle by the Franklin Mountain Range with its winding jagged peaks and valleys, and the beautiful sunset in the distance. I looked to the west. The desert seemed to stretch on forever over the mesas of the lower valley, where it finally reached out to the beautiful, colorful, sun-setting sky. The magnificent multicolored sky consisted of light blues, pinks, oranges, and brilliant shades of purple. The plane finally landed, and I emerged into the welcoming embrace of my family.

2 I kept traveling along on my crutches in the little El Paso airport, all the while feeling an overwhelming sadness about the reality of my new life as an amputee and seeing it unfold in front of me in real time.

It was nighttime, and the huge windows that went all the way to the floor in the hallway caused our reflections to appear to us as we all slowly walked over to collect our luggage and then moved on to our red Ford station wagon.

While waiting to pick up the luggage, I noticed my little brother Eric looking rather disturbed. He had an angry look on his face. I went over to him and said, “What’s up, little bro?”

He looked at me with glossy eyes like he was going to cry, but he didn’t. He then said to me, “I don’t like the way everyone is looking at you.”

I leaned over and grabbed him affectionately by the shoulder. “C’mon, little bro, let’s go home.”

3 As I was flipping through the newspaper that day, I came to an interesting article describing different wills and testaments people had left their loved ones. I remember one really funny one that went like this: “When I die, my wife cannot inherit any part of my estate until she gets remarried. In this way I will know that there will be at least one person on this earth that really wishes I was still alive!” Amazing, I thought. How creative, but kind of an angry statement to write in one’s last will and testament. His wife must have been a real trip to live with! Well, I knew the kind of life I wanted to live.

Kevin Garrison was diagnosed with cancer and became an amputee during his teens. He completed his prosthetic education at the University of California in Los Angeles and Northwestern University in Chicago. A certified-licensed prosthetist and owner of a successful prosthetic care company, he resides with his wife and family in south Florida.