Writing her way home: Leitrim woman turns pain into purpose through children’s book

After two decades in London, Anna McTernan returned to Leitrim with her husband and children, settling in Drumshanbo to be close to home. But tragedy struck early — her husband died young, and not long after, Anna herself suffered a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 2019.

“I was still working with family groups at the time,” Anna recalls. “Then suddenly, everything changed. I had a brain aneurysm, and when I got to Beaumont Hospital and they operated, I had multiple strokes in the theatre. I couldn’t walk or talk. But thank God I can do both now.”

Just a year later, in 2020, Anna’s oldest son passed away. With her daughters living abroad, her eldest, Tara Keane, brought Anna to live with her near Boston, Massachusetts. “It’s been four or five years now,” she says. “I’m still here — but I do hope to return home, now that I can live independently.”

During her recovery, Anna found creative healing in storytelling. Inspired by the daily ritual of walking her dog Misty along the shores of Lough Allen, Anna wrote a children’s book titled Squidgy and Tweet.

“The story was born from two pieces of bog oak or driftwood I used to see by the lake,” she explains. “One looked like a little animal on land — maybe a squirrel — and the other looked like something swimming in the water, like the Loch Ness Monster. I kept seeing squirrels, so I took it as a sign. That’s how Squidgy the squirrel and Tweet the turtle were born.”

More than a whimsical tale, Anna’s story carries a deeper message rooted in her life’s work with parents and families from diverse backgrounds.

“Over the decades, I saw the struggles of people displaced by war, famine, or economic hardship,” she says. “They often face discrimination when they arrive in a new country. I wanted Squidgy and Tweet to help teach children the importance of kindness, inclusion, and understanding. Fear and ignorance fuel prejudice — but if we start early, we can raise a better generation.”

Now in recovery, with her strength returning and her story in the world, Anna Keane looks forward to the day she can return to Leitrim — to the lake, the driftwood, and the home that inspired it all.

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