Emerging from the Smoke

On the 10th anniversary of her stroke due to Moyamoya Disease, a rare congenital condition named “puff of smoke” in Japanese, Orlena Fong Shek has now banded with twenty other survivors who have “emerged from the smoke” as warriors, bringing to light poetry from the heart and soul of their collective survival. These poems of hope and endurance will empower you to find your inner strength to get up, to walk, and even to run, but ultimately, to never give up.

COVER ART Designed by Mariah Dingman

The title of the book is: EMERGING FROM THE SMOKE: A COLLECTION OF WARRIOR VOICES.

Moyamoya means “a Puff of Smoke,” in Japanese, its country of origin. The appearance of “a Puff of Smoke” is a description of the appearance of a Moyamoya brain on MRA (Magnetic Resonance Angiography), in which the diseased vessels are small, weak and prone to bleeding resulting in potentially devastating strokes. The cover art incorporates an actual MRA scan of a Moyamoya brain, with an artistic rendering of various stroke survivors/warriors “emerging” from the “puff of smoke." The blue background is in the official “Moyamoya Blue” color.

The gold is a nod to the French meaning behind the name, “Orlena,”

or “Little Gold” in French. The year of birth, Orlena’s parents consulted the Chinese “Five Element Theory,” that wood, fire, earth, metal, and water are believed to be the fundamental elements of the material world between which interactions occur. That year happened to be deficient in metal so Orlena’s parents sought to replenish her with this element by naming her “Orlena.”

A percentage of proceeds benefits the Pacific Stroke Association.

A percentage of every sale of the book will go directly to the incredible work of the Pacific Stroke Association.

https://pacificstrokeassociation.org