SHAWINIGAN. In March 2021, L’Hebdo presented a report highlighting the three lives of Jean-François Blais. After a career in the Canadian Armed Forces, Jean-François suffered a serious road accident which left him disabled. Then, quietly, he miraculously started walking again before tackling triathlon intensively. His ex-wife Mireille Delisle paid tribute to his memory with the writing of a book about his life entitled “The rise of a fighter: the true story of Jeff”.
Mireille Delisle had the idea of writing this book for a long time. It was the death of Jean-François’ mother last February that encouraged him to start writing. “It had been simmering for a long time, even while he was alive. Just the fact that he started walking again, I was already impressed. I talked to him about it when we were still together. It was incredible to just recover from this accident,” expresses Mireille Delisle.
Mireille also lost her father in March. “I figured it was time to write it down so Jeff’s dad could read it. I did it for the family and to pay tribute to them. It took three months for writing, corrections and everything. It was quick. It was therapeutic for me too. Writing her story became an outlet and it was a way to get some positive out of it all. »
It was a first book for Mireille Delisle, who was helped in its writing by Gwen Bobée. “At the start, I was mostly emotional so Gwen helped me a lot. »
For her daughter Jasmine, the pain remains so strong that she has not been able to read the entire book written by her mother about her father. “I think it’s great that she wrote her story to inspire even more people. My father is my first source of inspiration. I read the first three chapters, but I wasn’t able to continue. »
“If this book can inspire one person to take that extra step, it won’t have been for nothing. Jeff often said that if the head follows, the body will follow,” continues Ms. Delisle.
She also refers to this quote from the first text presented by the Hebdo. “I’m running rough, I’m pedaling rough, I’m swimming rough, but I’m moving forward. If I want to walk the same distance as a person, it’s going to take me three times as long, but I do it. »
The book launch took place on October 5 and was full of emotion for the ex-wife and the family. “It’s an intimate story, and at the same time, it’s a part of my life that is displayed to the general public. I’m not used to being in the spotlight. The credit that the world gives me for this book goes to him. If it wasn’t for his journey, the book wouldn’t exist. One of the things I was most touched by was that he signed his organ donation card and that people can live thanks to him. If he hadn’t taken charge and done all the sports he did, his organs surely wouldn’t have been able to be used. In the end, every step he took could have contributed to another person today. »
700 copies of the book were printed. The Rise of a Fighter is available at the Librairie Poirier in Shawinigan, as well as from the author.
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