Competitive ParaSurfer Heather C. Markham is no stranger to rough waters.

At age thirty-four, Heather received a life-changing diagnosis: she had a progressive muscular dystrophy and would eventually need a wheelchair. Her walking days were going to end much sooner than she’d expected.

Despite her body’s betrayal, Heather fearlessly leaned into adventures—performing as a belly dancer, falling in love, becoming a ParaSurfer, winning Ms. Wheelchair Kentucky, and pursuing her lifelong passion for photography.

With humor and heartbreaking candor, Rough Waters chronicles Heather’s slow decline in mobility and her determination to live an extraordinary life—one full of laughter and joy, sand and salt water. Rough Waters is both an inspiring memoir and a courageous call for more empathy from medical professionals, care attendants, and anyone who knows and loves someone with a disability. Limits are only in your mind, Heather says, and nearly anything is possible with the right tools, help, and perseverance.