Since being diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in spring 2024, Jean has continued with her work as an author, consulting arborist and public speaker.
Her new book, Of Heartwood and Woundwood: An Unlikely Arborist’s Path to Courage and Joy (Broadleaf Books, Fall 2026), draws upon her personal health challenges as well as her continuing love of history and knowledge of the tree world. In her memoir, Jean describes the inestimable value of personal reinvention, specifically her unexpected but thoroughly wonderful pivot from writing books to caring for trees.
Her extraordinary experiences as an arborist shored her up when she was diagnosed with a serious illness that is both untreatable and always fatal. She hopes this insider’s story about the tree world will inspire readers to take a walk in the woods — or even take a chance on changing their own lives.
To that end, she continues to make changes that allow her to continue to embrace life to the fullest extent possible. ALS is thoroughly different for everyone—it’s called the “snowflake” disease, because no two cases are alike, whether in terms of symptoms or prognosis. The variant that Jean has, called Bulbar-onset ALS, is a relatively rare form that first attacks the motor neurons in the brainstem that control the muscles in the mouth and throat. Diminishment of swallowing and speech functions precede any weakness in the limbs. So she continues to work as a tree inspector, to drive, to perambulate…and to present to audiences, albeit in a radically novel way.
Jean is available for speaking engagements and book club visits
She can meet in person or virtually. Based in Westchester County, she welcomes the opportunity to meet readers wherever they are. With a long history of giving presentations and leading discussions, Jean brings warmth and depth to every conversation. And even as she navigates a diagnosis of ALS, she continues to connect with audiences through AI voice capabilities, ensuring her story and her voice remain very much present.