Queena Phu may be known as the Bloomingdale Library Attack Victim, but to those of us in the Brandon community, Queena is also known as a hero. She is a vibrant young lady who was affected by traumatic brain injury at the age of 18 in April 2008 during her senior year. The injury left her with many disabilities and changed her life forever.
Queena’s mom, Vanna Nguyen, is preparing to release a memoir about her life, faith and her amazing daughter.
“I want to share my struggles in life, including this heartbreaking attack on Queena,” she said. “I want to share my life’s story to create a living testament to the notion that faith, community and the unending grace of God provide us with the power to do things we never thought possible.”
The book is called The Life She Once Knew: The Incredible True Story of Queena, the Bloomingdale Library Attack Survivor. The book’s release date is November 10, 2020, but the book is now available through their publisher’s website at ambassador-international.com, Amazon and Goodreads for preorder. It will soon be available for preorder from all local book retailers.
“We have read the whole book draft to Queena and she’s very focused and interested about all the details in the book, especially information about her brain damage and coma as she doesn’t really remember,” Nguyen said. “From victim to survivor, to revealing her name, now she can’t wait to release a book about her story, which is a story of deep grief and darkness. She wants it to shine a light into someone else’s dark place.”
Nguyen hopes her memoir will inspire people from around the world.
“I am hoping to see the book published in different languages so it can provide hope to the downtrodden around the world,” Nguyen said. “My wish is 100 percent of the book or any related proceeds can support ongoing expenses through Hope Heals The Brain, Inc. and Queena’s medical trust fund. We’re glad God chose Ambassador for publishing our book in sharing our inspiration stories to the world.”
“We are also working on a movie adaptation, but we have not yet chosen a production company. We are still researching how to [do] a movie,” she added.
To pre-order a copy, search for the book on Amazon or Goodreads.
