Writer Sherrance Henderson scored with her first novel based on her own experiences after spinal cord injury.
Sherrance Henderson’s first novel Sunshine Has Rain (Imperious Press, 2004) traces the journey of Channa Renée Jones, a self-absorbed, materialistic woman who must re-evaluate her life after spinal cord injury (SCI).
“It has been embellished,” Henderson says, “but the story is based on a true event that happened to me. The first month that the book was out, we sold one thousand copies.”
In her experience with SCI, Henderson has come a long way in a relatively short time, but she doesn’t see this feat as heroic.
“There are many heroes in the SCI community. There is no one who is more of a hero than anyone else,” she insists. “We all struggle with the same pain and hardship. I’m not a hero; I’m just telling a story. If I make people see that people with disabilities are as empowering and able as anyone else, then I’ve done my job.”
Nicknamed the “Queenbee of Fiction,” Henderson saw her newfound success as an opportunity to pursue disability activism. A native New Yorker who now lives on the Jersey side of the Hudson, Henderson has worked hard with her publisher to sell the book to various sites within the Board of Education in New York City. “Since the board has over 500,000 students, it’s a big opportunity to sell the book. We’re getting our sales team together to implement it correctly, so the board can use it to teach students about people that have disabilities. Without being educated about people with disabilities, people are prejudiced without being aware of it.”
A Different Track
Henderson’s positive outlook and enthusiasm for life have been with her long before complications following a car accident left her with a disability.
“I was a gymnast for fourteen years, and ran track all through high school,” she says. “In college, I participated in many sports. I was a very active, healthy person who also loved to read and write. I started writing when I was nine years old. My first major at Howard University was broadcast journalism. I was fascinated with investigative reporting. My professors often suggested that I look into creative writing as a career. They used to say that my reporting reminded them of well-written short stories.”
Ultimately, Henderson chose financial stability over creativity, and in 1992, she earned her undergraduate degree in Business Management, and soon, she was working in sales for an international pharmaceutical company.
In 1999, Henderson had a car accident that left her with two bulging and four herniated discs in her back. A trip to the doctor’s office had unforeseen consequences. “For six or seven months, I had severe back pain. My paralysis was a medical mistake. For pain management, the doctor was supposed to bathe the area with Ladocaine, then inject my back with dextrose and water,” she explains. Instead, the doctor bathed the area with the water mixture, and injected Ladocaine, a neurotoxin, into her back nearly two dozen times, killing nerves there, and leaving her a T-5 incomplete paraplegic.
“After an injury like that, you don’t recognize that you are paralyzed until a few weeks into the injury,” says Henderson. “You’re almost in a state of shock.”
Sinking and Swimming
At the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, New Jersey, Henderson underwent rehabilitation for three months, then continued as an outpatient for another eight months. “With a spinal cord injury, you’re constantly fighting to live. I would sob when I was in therapy. It was difficult for me. I was thirty years old, and my life had changed dramatically. I wasn’t prepared for it.”
After she was injured, Henderson found herself unemployed from her position as a Marketing Representative at Roxane Laboratories, where she sold pain medications. “Ironically, the products that I sold for Roxane were the same products that I used when I was paralyzed,” she explains. “Being a drug representative, I understood pain, and applied that to my experience as an individual with an SCI.”
Still, she was depressed. “At that point, I had nothing. All I had was my spirituality. Faith has been such a pivotal point in my life. If I didn’t have faith, I would not have survived this long.”
People had started to treat her differently. Her family provided a constant source of support, but friends didn’t come to visit, and the man she was dating left. “You think you’ve got a handle on your SCI, but able-bodied people remind you that you appear to be very different. It was hurtful. I was fortunate to have a really good therapist that took care of me emotionally, as well as physically.”
While many with SCI would consider her lucky in that respect, Henderson’s daily life is not without difficulty. “My life is challenging,” she admits. “I asked God to let me walk, but you have to be careful what you pray for. You will get it, but you have to ask with great detail. I was very vague when I asked God to walk, but I’m thankful for the miracle. I walk with a walker or cane, my balance is poor, and I wear a leg brace. I’m walking, but not perfectly. I can’t walk long distances, so, if I travel, I use a wheelchair. Every four months, I go back into therapy.” Like many patients with SCI, she uses a catheter, and is plagued by recurrent urinary tract infections and severe incontinence. “It’s embarrassing,” she admits. “You’re forced to adjust to an SCI; you sink or swim. I chose to swim.”
Her Heart’s Desire
In 2001, Henderson earned a master’s degree in marketing from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, but she was ready to pursue her heart’s desire to become a writer. “In seeking the next financial accomplishment, you sometimes let go of your talent. When you have a spinal cord injury, you have to do things that are your passion. You realize that the material things that you sought were not important at all; you do what makes you happy. I do what’s good for my heart, spirit and soul. That’s why I write.”
Sunshine Has Rain can be found at several major booksellers, including Waldenbooks, Borders Book Sellers, Barnes and Noble in 9/05, www.BarnesandNoble.com, www.Amazon.com, and www.ImperiousPublishing.com.
“We’re working on getting a movie deal for the novel,” Henderson explains. You can view the book’s movie trailer at www.imperiouspublishing.com/NewWeb Trailer.mov. In July 2004, during the trailer’s filming, Henderson was on hand to make sure that the experience of SCI was portrayed as accurately as possible. “The movie crew used me as a guide to make sure that they were following what looks real. I had to show the actress that played Channa Renée Jones how to be paralyzed. People think it’s just sitting in the chair; it isn’t that simple. Your legs and body have to look a certain way.”
Through seminars, public speaking and book signings, Henderson is eager to discuss issues of living with a disability.
“A prejudice against someone with a disability is an acceptable prejudice, unlike that against other minorities,” she says. “Hopefully, the book will reduce some of those unnecessary stereotypes and untrue perceptions. I let people experience me as a person with a disability, and allow them to ask me questions. I use myself as a tool to spread knowledge about disability.”
Lori A. Wood writes regularly for Orbit.
peace queen,
i’m writing you back to let you know the i love your book, because it give people a look a the difficulties and the strength the we have to show just to maintain a regular life. that’s why i can sympathize with you because i broke my neck at the age of 17 i was a high school basketball player who was looking to become a pro basketball player but was forced to live the life of a quadrapaligic.
i’m the dread you met you on 135th st. book fare and i wanted to talk to you moreabout what i did, doing, and wants to do but it wasn’t the right time. i want to know how you like my cd and what can i do for you to show the world how we triumph.
Thank you so much for taking the time to firstly read my novel and then secondly, to leave a reply at Orbit’s Webpage.
I am horned it know that you’ve enjoyed my tale and sympathized with the challenges of Channa Renee Jones in Sunshine Has Rain. I wrote the novel to share unknown events and difficulties that people SCI experience.
I loved your CD but lost your contact info. Please go to http://www.ImperiousPublishing.com and email me with your info.
Thanks again and always my God be with you!
Sherrance
Sherrance, met you tonight (10-16-05) at the Sisters4Sisters event. Awesome, powerful, your presentation and persona. I see God in you!
Rose,
Thanks for googling me. LOL I am unsure if “googling” is such a word.
It was great being with Sister4Sister’s last month. I thank you all for allowing me to share my novel with your group.
Sherrance
Just a short note went right home and told my husband all about meeting you tonight at your dining experience at R/L but the wonderful experience of talking to you and your friend was all mine. I cannot wait to dive into the book and will write to you again after I have had a chance to enjoy and experience Channa Renna Jones With sincere regards Sheila Ps Don’t forget to Ask for Brenda at Times Square R/L
Oh Sheila, I enjoyed our conversation in Buffalo, NY at my most favorite eatery…Red Lobster. You brought more than our food, you gave Milton and I a wealth of Black Canadian History. Just to think, I was chatting with the wife of the first Black Hockey Player and one of the few Black coaches of Hockey at a University. The honor and pleasure was all mine and I thank you.
Please drop me a note once you have completed Sunshine Has Rain, my novel.
Sherrance,
May God continue to bless and cover you in your walk. This is Lola. We went to high school together and Ceecee sent me an email to tell me about the reunion and seeing you again. You are a miracle and prove that none of our experiences are for any of us to keep to ourselves. Good, bad, and indifferent, they are God’s way of teaching and leading us by learning and living through each other..
I will keep you in my prayers and lift you up as an inspiration for myself and everyone else that I share your story with.
Peace and blessings!
Lola Thompson
Bishop Loughlin/Class of 86′
240-354-2630
Lola,
WOW, people really do read all the info on the web about “me.” Well, I guess that is kinda cool. Thank you for taking the time to care. It was great seeing you and the rest of the class of “86.” I don’t feel older, but I do feel wiser.
I embrace life differently, and know that God is “so in control” and I appreciate every living moment which has been given to me by God. Simply, stated, I feel blessed. Not always happy, but blessed. To be honest, I didn’t know how people from our high school would have greeted me since my walk is a little bit different. Everyone was great! Of course, everyone was curious to know the “whys,” “whens,” and yes, the “hows.” It was still OK. Once I told my story, everyone treated me like nothing had changed. I love you all for making me feel good about my Alumni visit to Bishop Loughlin. Looking forward to seeing you all ten years from now at our “30th” class reunion.
Lola, take care and please always stay in touch.
-Sherrance
Hello sweetheart,
Hope you are feeling especially blessed today because you are. It was so good to see you at the reunion and I pray that you keep your promise to come see me out in Colorado in February!!!! I am holding you to that. Continue being an inspiration to others and thanking God for his many blessings. You are a true example of walking, living and breathing faith into any situation that we are faced with in life and I will always keep you in my prayers.
Love you and
God bless you always
Dawn
Class of 86′
303-607-2635
Hello Sherrance,
I see that your High School Alumni family embraces you and I would like to embrace you as well.This is Maurice. First, I would like to applaud you on your determination despite the challenges that you are experiencing. It’s people like yourself that inspire me to always be at my best and help others despite what I may be going through. I am sorry that I missed this reunion and a chance to see you, but there will be others.I heard about your book through Dawn today and just ordered it. I look foward to reading your work. Stay strong on your path and know that you are never alone. Hope to hear from you soon.
Maurice Holland
Class of 86′
718-804-6548
Dawn,
Thank you for sharing my story with our classmates and people at your place of worship. When I saw you at our high school reunion, I saw a blessed women. A beautiful women with a kindred sprit. Thank you Dawn for the Sista-Gurl that I remembered you being.
I am going to take you up on the offer to visit you while I am in Colorado and possible meet your women’s Bible group. I will be in Vail, Co in February with the Black Brotherhood of Skiers. Maybe you can bring your children down for a day and we can ski?
Thank again lady and looking forward in see you soon.
Sherrance
Dawn,
Thank you for sharing my story with our classmates and people at your place of worship. When I saw you at our high school reunion, I saw a blessed women. A beautiful women with a kindred sprit. Thank you Dawn for the Sista-Gurl that I remembered you being.
I am going to take you up on the offer to visit you while I am in Colorado and possible meet your women’s Bible group. I will be in Vail, Co in February with the Black Brotherhood of Skiers. Maybe you can bring you children down for a day and we can ski?
Thank again lady and looking forward in see you soon.
-Sherrance
Maurice,
WOW, wow,and wow. Thank for caring. Thank you for your support, and thank you most of all for leaving me a note. I am horned and so grateful for your love.
Enough of the sweet talk, you better come to the next high school reunion or else. I will call you and Dawn soon.
Take care,
Sherrance