Michelle Bauer

""You are walking down a quiet, narrow hallway. There is a grey rug before you, stretched out into the darkness at the end. You feel sombre and a little lost. Maybe you are in a castle. Maybe you are in a house you once knew. Wherever you are, you decide to walk. As you walk you notice there are doors on either side of you. This book is a collection of poems from the walls and rooms of this hallway. Most, I believe, are of people and places that are on the periphery of being forgotten. Most, I believe, are of people and places that never really were. So I invite you to explore this hallway. Open a door and see if you would like to go inside. I assure you, you will find something - I'm just not sure it's something you want to find. It is my hope that if you do choose to explore this place, it means something to you. Perhaps when you are ready to leave, you will take some of the writing with you as you go. Please remember, not all doors will open to show you what you are looking for. Please remember, not all doors will close.""

When Michelle Bauer's 13-year-old son, Jesse, died unexpectedly from complications related to type 1 diabetes, she felt lost - as lost as any parent whose child has died. After Jesse was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a three-year-old, he and Michelle became tireless advocates in the diabetes community. After Jesse died, Michelle harnessed her grief and made it one of her life's missions to use her loss as a means to courageously attack this disease head on. Michelle is amazingly open about the pain of losing a child and has become a wonderful resource to other parents and children in the diabetes community around the world. 'Jesse Was Here' is not only a story of loss and grief but the incredible story of love and hope and finding joy after loss.