Louise Boucher Farell
Celebrates 5 years sober and so much more
I can barely commit to eating healthy for a week and I have broken the majority of my New Year's resolutions. Imagine committing to sobriety in a world where alcohol is an ever present symbol of celebration, fine-dining, a way to punctuate a romantic evening, or unwind with friends around a campfire. Alcohol is a huge part of the holidays and gift-giving in many cultures around the world. It always seems like there is always the perfect occasion to have a drink.
So how does one celebrate 5 years sober? Well for one very special woman, we wanted to share her story of success with all of you as November's recipient of the Sexy Brilliant Award.
Louise Boucher-Farell was what some people might refer to as an ALPHA female. Driven and passionate about her career where she worked for the world's leading manufacturer of business jets, Bombardier. A 70 to 80 hour work week was commonplace and she loved it. She also loved working out 5 days a week, loved to grab a drink with her friends and colleagues at the end of a long day and she was very much in love with a great guy who lived thousands of miles away in a different country. Louise loved to live life to the fullest.
That all changed suddenly while she was at work one day. A couple of colleagues commented that she looked like she was walking "funny", as if she was drunk. She had not been drinking at all so her friend encouraged her to go see a doctor. She went to her family doctor for a check up and Louise could tell something was very wrong when the doctor advised her to go home and pack a bag before going straight to the hospital. She was going to be there for a while. “A while” turned into a week and every test imaginable was performed.
Despite being discharged from the hospital, it took another 3 long nail biting weeks before she would finally get her results. Louise was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Unfortunately, she was forced to take a leave of absence from her work.
It was at this time that her drinking became more excessive. Understandably she was depressed and frustrated as her entire life came to a screeching halt. Not quite ready to accept defeat, Louise tried to get back in the saddle and start working again. However, she was forced to leave on permanent disability. She was quite literally being forced to come to terms with her new reality.
It was an emotional time not only for her but for her partner of 2 years. Louise did not want to burden him with the prospect of becoming her caretaker nor did she want to feel like anyone's burden. Faced with all the possible outcomes, her partner not only decided to stay with her but he also proposed. For a while there was something happy to focus on and to celebrate.
Slowly over time, Louise's diagnosis affected their intimate life and her ability to truly enjoy sexual pleasure. Though she still very much loved her husband and wanted nothing more to be close with him, her body just kept betraying her and everyday it was getting harder to find joy in even the little things. Drinking was one thing she could do, it was fun, social and eased her mental and physical frustrations.
Drinking eventually became too excessive and Louise realized that this was not the woman she wanted to be. To stop drinking she knew she was going to need help so with the full support of her husband, she checked herself into a 30 day rehab. It has since been 5 years and Louise has stayed sober.
One of the main keys to Louise’s sobriety is that she found a new sense of purpose as a member of the board at MedicalMutts.org, a not for profit that saves shelter dogs from the USA and trains them as service dogs for people with all kinds of needs such as Multiple Sclerosis, Anxiety, Diabetes and more.
Louise was introduced to MediaMutts when she received a service dog that needed to be retrained because it had become reactive to other dogs and was no longer suitable for being a seeing eye dog for the blind. She loved her dog “Gretchen” and with the help of Medical Mutts, Gretchen was retrained and provided another opportunity to be a service dog again. Louise loved the service so much that she wanted to be involved in turning Medical Mutts into a not for profit.
The cost of service dogs can be astronomical and the goal of this organization is to make service dogs more affordable so that the people who need them most can access the service. One of the ways that Medical Mutts makes this service more affordable is by offering classes on how to train your own dog to become a service dog, along with the step by step process of getting your dog certified.
On behalf of everyone here at SexyBrilliant.org we want to encourage all of our followers to check out MedicalMutts.org and spread the word about this great service.
Louise not only is an example of growth and self empowerment but she is also a leader in giving back and that is very Sexy and very Brilliant!
We sincerely hope you liked this story and that in some way it inspires you to take action in your own life. Be more self empowered despite the challenges you might be facing!
If you know someone who you think is Sexy Brilliant and would like to share their story please reach out and let us know. Nominate them today!
