Donna was born in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, the eldest of three children. She credits her grandmother for influencing her as she was a very independent woman who was known to be stubborn on occasions. She remembers her saying, “You can’t hide from your destiny. Wherever you go, your destiny will follow you!”

In 1973, Donna immigrated to Canada with her family, and maybe it was her destiny for her to have a major stroke in 1985 and prove that it is possible to pick up the pieces and live again. At the time, doctors recommended she be placed in a chronic care institution and labeled her a “vegetable.” She was unable to speak, she was paralyzed, and she also had very poor vision.

Today, Donna has proved the doctors wrong and continues to improve her life through sheer determination, tremendous effort, and perhaps a little of her grandmother’s stubbornness! She lives with her eldest son and his family in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada and has seven grandchildren who are a constant joy to her as well as helping her to relearn many skills we all take for granted.

Easy to Give Up is Donna's first book and it chronicles her journey after suffering from a severe stroke that doctors believed would leave her a vegetable for the rest of her life.