Twenty-six year old Kate Goldfield has just published her first book, a memoir on her life with chemical sensitivities and autism: Common Scents: Adventures with Autism and Chemical Sensitivity. Kate has suffered with MCS for four years. About two years ago, she engaged on a cross-country journey to find a chemically safe place to live. A nomadic lifestyle is nothing new to those of us who have chemical sensitivities, but rarely do we get to read such detailed accounts of these journeys, and the thoughts, feelings and every day struggles of what it is like to survive even one day when you are dealing with something as serious and difficult as MCS.Kate travels to cities in New York, Oregon, Vermont and Montana in an effort to find her place in the world, and eventually after an arduous journey ends up back in her home state of Maine. At the same time as she is dealing with MCS, Kate is also dealing with challenges associated with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. These make interacting with others effectively an often puzzling challenge for her, creating tense moments and dilemmas that she must work her way through. In the course of her journey, though, Kate learns a lot about herself, how much she is really capable of, and who she is. Her experiences shape her and give her the wisdom and knowledge to be able to better interact with the world and people around her.
She approaches it all with a good sense of humor and an affinity for good food wherever she can find it. Chemical sensitivities can be a death sentence for many, but Kate was determined that her problems with MCS not be the end of her if she had anything to do about it. Her grit and perseverance, moving from place to place until she finally found something that worked, won out in the end. Kate now lives with environmentally aware roommates near the town that she grew up in, and is enjoying a new found sense of stability that she has never had before. She shudders to think of what would happen if the stories portrayed in "Common Scents" had never happened.
She approaches it all with a good sense of humor and an affinity for good food wherever she can find it. Chemical sensitivities can be a death sentence for many, but Kate was determined that her problems with MCS not be the end of her if she had anything to do about it. Her grit and perseverance, moving from place to place until she finally found something that worked, won out in the end. Kate now lives with environmentally aware roommates near the town that she grew up in, and is enjoying a new found sense of stability that she has never had before. She shudders to think of what would happen if the stories portrayed in "Common Scents" had never happened.
It's a story of hope, a story of courage, and unfortunately, the story of so many of our lives, plus or minus a few details. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of "Common Scents: Adventures with Autism and Chemical Sensitivity," please go to Kate's website at:
http://kategoldfield.webs.com
Electronic (PDF) versions are available as well as paperback copies.
Key Words: multiple chemical sensitivity, chemical sensitivity, chemical sensitivities, multiple chemical sensitivities, MCS, EI, environmental illness, sick building syndrome, idiopathic environmental intolerance, fibromyalgia, chronic fatiuge, FM, CFS, mold illness, clinical ecology, alternative medicine, environmental medicine, neuropathy, encephalopathy, toxic, chemical
http://kategoldfield.webs.com
Electronic (PDF) versions are available as well as paperback copies.
Key Words: multiple chemical sensitivity, chemical sensitivity, chemical sensitivities, multiple chemical sensitivities, MCS, EI, environmental illness, sick building syndrome, idiopathic environmental intolerance, fibromyalgia, chronic fatiuge, FM, CFS, mold illness, clinical ecology, alternative medicine, environmental medicine, neuropathy, encephalopathy, toxic, chemical
