Red Tomatoes

About the Book

Les MacNeill and his partner, Marcia Stromsmoe, spent 6 years sailing from Alaska, Mexico, and the South Pacific to New Zealand and Australia. In 2001, while hiking near Rabaul, PNG they were brutally attacked and left for dead. Les suffered 8 skull fractures, severe brain injury, and lost his left eye. Doctors said "There's no reason for this man to be alive" but no one told Les! After medical evacuation to Australia, they returned to Victoria where Les spent 8 months in the hospital and many more in therapy. This is the story of their trip, his recovery, and how he lives with his brain injury. He hopes his story will inspire those who suffer from a brain injury and those who live with them.

About the Author

Les MacNeill was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1936, the second of eight children. He began a retail career at WoolworthÕs and quickly moved to St JohnÕs to open a new store, the first building in town with an escalator. His retail career and his move to investment fund sales management took him to most provinces in Canada. He returned to school, graduated as a Respiratory Technologist in 1975, and was recruited by Victoria General Hospital where he worked for over 20 years. He was active in the Vancouver Island Chapter of the BC Society of Respiratory Technologists. An avid runner, Les often wins his category in road and track races, and has completed a triathlon. As an active running club member, he directed road races and co-ordinated volunteers for the Commonwealth Games. A lifelong sailor, he circumnavigated Vancouver Island and sailed single-handed to Alaska. After early retirement in 1995, Les and his partner, Marcia Stromsmoe, sailed to Mexico, French Polynesia, Niue, the Cook Islands, Tonga, New Zealand and Australia. In 2001, while en route home, they were brutally attacked and left for dead in Papua New Guinea. Les suffered 8 skull fractures and extensive brain injury, spent several months in the hospital and many more in therapy. He now lives in Victoria with Marcia, where he continues to run, play the saxophone and guitar. He has three children and four grandchildren.