Chronicle 2020

PROFILES

Looking forward JANET FORMAN 1977 By Julia Stanley Weaver 1978

It’s not always easy in life to set priorities: to know what must be done now and what can be done later. But when her publisher asked Janet Forman, a successful author of mystery novels, to attend a prestigious convention in Washington this year, it was clear that she could not go. Janet has another priority at the moment, and it’s her son John, who, at the age of 31, is going blind. There are many ways to say this, but “her son is losing his sight” or “her son is visually impaired” do not pack the punch that she felt listening to a specialist answer John’s question. “Am I going to go blind?” “Yes.” “I had an immediate sense of déjà vu,” says Janet. Her father was blind. Despite his failing eyesight, he practised psychiatry at Toronto General Hospital and was an associate professor at the University of Toronto. He was never given a diagnosis, prognosis, or hope of a treatment. Eventually, he lost all sight. He lost his career too, but remained active, serving on the boards of the CNIB and Havergal. Dr. Forman and his guide dog, Buffy, were often seen at Havergal events. John is a lawyer. His vision began to fail while he was at law school. Because of advances in medical research, John, unlike his grandfather, was given a diagnosis. He had inherited X-linked retinal degeneration (cone-rod dystrophy), caused by a change in the RPGR gene. The career was still on track but he was not.

John quit his job and, with Janet’s help, is planning to walk across Canada to raise money for research into treatments and cures for blinding eye disease. The walk, Looking Forward 2021 , will start in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and finish in Victoria, British Columbia. Janet has published five novels, the most recent of which are the Lee Smith mystery series, published under the pen name Jay Forman and set in various locations across Canada. They have been translated into several languages and sold around the world. The next story in the series, which she is currently writing, is slated for publication in September 2021. Janet is also putting her writing skills to good use with blog posts about John’s walk, which can be found on his Looking Forward 2021 website, LookingForward2021.ca. The proceeds from John’s walk will be directed to Fighting Blindness Canada, Canada’s leading funder of vision research. When asked how she manages to balance the demands of her writing and helping John, Janet responds, “I knit. Knitting is my mindful meditation – the rhythmic, repetitive movements help me zone out and stop thinking about whatever is going on in my life. It allows me to mentally escape into a stress-free sanctuary.” Every November, Janet donates a bag of knitted items to a shelter for the homeless or abused women. Clearly, John and his mother share a generous impulse to help others and to keep looking forward.

PHOTO: PAULA FEIG

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