About the Author

The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia is now home to Bart W. Balint, MD, along with his wife, two tortoise shell cats, and one gray bobtail cat—each of whom sought him out as a companion in life. Born in 1959 in Ohio, raised in the steel town of Weirton, West Virginia, he went off to earn a BS in Chemistry at Bethany College followed by his medical degree from West Virginia University. Anesthesiology drew him in and he segued into running his private chronic pain management practice and training medical fellows at the University of Virginia. Renovating old farm houses, scuba diving, artistic welding, karate, tennis, singing, playing guitar, and other activities filled his scant spare time. His neck injury in 2003 catalyzed both his dive into his inner world and into writing his first book, a memoir. Shaking things up further, a rare form of lymphoma arose, challenging him to continue his travels inward. Initially a guy who never kept a journal, he now writes daily to tease apart his innermost beliefs and constructs. Who knows what’s next?