Too Opinionated Interview: Danielle Kaplan

Today on Too Opinionated, we chat with author Danielle Kaplan about her memoir: I Married A Thrill-Seeker: A Cautious Wife’s Memoir of Her Husband’s Risk-Taking and Their Long Road to Recovery.  

When Danielle Kaplan’s type-A and adrenaline-junkie husband, Stephen Kaplan — former CFO and CEO of Deciem Beauty Group — sets off to take one last solo road trip on his BMW R1200GS Enduro motorcycle, from Toronto, Ontario to near Fairbanks, Alaska, Danielle knows it’s the last ‘adrenaline rush’ trip he’ll take on the bike–he’s promised to give it up for good. 

So, when Danielle husband sets off for his last solo free-spirited ride, he expects to make it home–no drama, no unnecessary risks, just the freedom of the open road and the wind on his face. But it’s the ending neither of them dreamed of when he crashes on a remote highway in the Yukon, and its hours before he can receive medical treatment, his life changed in an instant.  

The treacherous stretch of road between Carmacks and Watson Lake in the Yukon called the Campbell Highway was incredibly dangerous in the rain. Steve hit a pothole and crashed–and what follows is a true testament of luck, love, and incredible fortitude as his injuries leave him with a less than one percent survival rate. 

This harrowing, heartfelt memoir of Danielle’s experiences during Steve’s tragic injuries and his incredible journey to recovery as she becomes his ally in regaining his health, attempting to understand his adrenaline-junkie antics and must come to terms with everything that’s happened with living and loving a thrill-seeker and the toll this trauma will have on her life and family. 

As a former speech pathologist, Danielle becomes her husband’s greatest ally–fighting by his side the entire time, through every step forward and step back, as Steve regains his health after the tragic accident. 

And from the months they spend in the hospital to her husband’s eventual recovery, she reveals her truthful, mixed emotions about everything from the life saving measures used to keep him alive to the unbearable decisions she had to make about their family. This heartfelt, raw story contains the essence of the human spirit, and is filled with both determination and love. 

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