What You Can't See: the Heart Can Imagine: A Memoir about Possibility in Addiction Treatment, Mental Health and Resilience beyond Blindness and Trauma
A DUET MEMOIR EXPLORING BLINDNESS, TRAUMA, AND RESILIENCE, AND TRANSFORMING ADVERSITY INTO INNOVATION THROUGH OPTIMISM AND DETERMINATION.
BOOK SUMMARY
WHAT WE CAN’T SEE—THE HEART CAN IMAGINE
Is the intertwined story of a blind physician and a psychologist shaped by early trauma, each navigating the invisible terrains of loss, resilience, and hope and determination. Told in alternating chapters, our memoir explores how two very different lives converged, unfolded in unexpected ways, and how love amplified our persistence in transforming adversity into innovation. Confronting stereotypes about disability and stigma about addiction we combined forces to build an addiction treatment clinic that challenged the status quo. Our story can be yours. Hard work prevailed; science and data combined with compassion got results. Applying the art of instigating and managing change can prevail. This is our story about the stubborn ways the heart keeps imagining its way forward.
Who We Are
Cheri Walker Hartman, PhD, is a psychologist, writer, educator, and community advocate. She was named the 2021 City of Roanoke Citizen of the Year.
David W. Hartman, MD, is a blind physician and the first person to graduate from medical school without sight in modern medicine. His life and work have been defined by resilience, innovation, and service. His awards include Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Together, we bring two perspectives, two histories, and one shared commitment to providing the best possible care to vulnerable people in our communities. We both serve on the faculty of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and give presentations on disability inclusion, addiction, and motivational lessons from the pursuit of purpose in life.
Joining their voices, our duet tells the story of how we knit together our experiences and varying backgrounds to reshape how care is delivered, upending traditional views on addiction, and prevailing against naysayers.
Why We’re Writing our Duet Memoir
We wrote this memoir to illuminate the emotional landscapes people rarely speak about openly—childhood trauma, addiction treatment, disability, caregiving, and the long arc of healing. We wrote it to honor the communities that shaped us, including the patients, families, and colleagues who taught us what courage looks like in everyday life.
Most of all, we wrote it to offer companionship to readers walking their own difficult paths.
Why This Book Matters
At a time when society is increasingly examining inclusion, mental health, addiction, and disability rights, the Hartmans' story offers a powerful example of how adversity can become a source of strength, innovation, and service to others. Imagining possibilities can lead to change. The Hartmans’ playbook pivots on open-mindedness and applying persuasive tools available to them as practitioner-scientists, educators, authors, and public speakers, who influence the clinical realm and broader community. Perseverance can lead to fulfillment of purpose; rather than being an outdated millennial virtue, it can be the antidote to the malaise of today.