Furiously Happy meets Elaine Lui in this truly original—and surprisingly hilarious—memoir about one woman’s journey to learn how to walk after a debilitating diagnosis turned her life upside down.

Learn How to Walk (Again) To-Do List:
Step 1: Stand
Step 2: Step
Step 3: Pee (Yes!)
Step 4: Walk with walker
Step 5: Walk with sticks
Step 6: Walk without props
Recreational interlude for sex
Step 7: RUN!

Ruth Marshall—power mom, wife, actor, and daughter—was in great health, until one day, her feet started to tingle. She visited doctors and specialists for tests, but no one could figure out the cause of her symptoms. Was she imagining those pesky tingles? She tried to brush it off, even as she tripped over curbs and stumbled into people. Clumsiness is charming, right?

But when Ruth suddenly couldn’t feel her legs at all, she knew something was terribly wrong. Her fears were confirmed by an MRI revealing a rare tumour that had been quietly growing on her spine for more than a decade. Within days, surgery was scheduled, and after the intense eight-hour ordeal, Ruth woke up to find her legs and feet had forgotten how to do...well, everything. The question that burned in her mind was, “Will I ever walk again?”

What Ruth thought would be three days in the hospital turned into months of rehabilitation as she relearned not only how to walk, run, pee, and even have sex again, but how to better appreciate everyone around her—including her devoted husband, her two young sons, her worried parents, her sisters, her loving friends, and the caring staff at the rehab center who help her tackle her recovery head-on.

Laugh-out-loud outrageous and searingly honest, this is a memoir that not only entertains but inspires readers to put their best foot forward and walk off anything life throws their way.

Ruth Marshall, an actress for over twenty years, is possibly best known for her roles in Degrassi: The Next Generation—as Clare’s mom—and for playing Billy Ray Cyrus’s boss on Doc. These days, she confines her acting to voice-over work. Ruth lives with her husband and two sons in Toronto. Walk It Off is her first book. Visit RuthMarshallauthor.com or follow her on Instagram @ruthmarshallwrites.

 

Ruth Marshall's profile page

“Revelatory, human, gutting and funny . . . Taking a simple step will never feel the same. One of those books you can’t put down and you will insist that everyone you love has to read. Ruth Marshall is us, at our worst and most brave.”

DIANE FLACKS, actor, author of Bear with Me

“A hilarious account of the kind of thing we all pray doesn’t happen to us. . . . An epic journey of recovery that is equally scary and funny.”

MICHAEL REDHILL, author of Bellevue Square

“Ruth Marshall writes with unblinking honesty and intimate charm about the challenges and triumphs of medical calamity. The pages practically turn themselves.”

TEVA HARRISON, award-winning author of In-Between Days

“A page-turning and inspiring journey of recovery. . . . Hilarious and hopeful.”

LISA GENOVA, bestselling author of Still Alice

“Funny, heartfelt, and well written. . . . Profound and witty. I could not put it down. ”

KARMA BROWN, bestselling author of Come Away with Me

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve liked a character in a book so much—only this one is real. . . . Ruth Marshall’s story is filled with heart and courage and heaping spoonfuls of humor.”

GLENN DIXON, #1 bestselling author of Juliet’s Answer

“A moving and hilarious portrayal of what happens when our bodies get the best of us and life is turned upside down . . . Wry and honest and wickedly funny, Walk It Off is a wonderful debut memoir from a writer to watch.”

AMY STUART, bestselling author of Still Mine

“So funny, so achingly poignant . . . Ruth’s story is riveting, her warmth and honesty irresistible.”

JAMES CHATTO, author of The Greek for Love