Just Beyond My Comprehension

My Journey with Julia

By: Margaret Ficaj

Narrated by: Annalyse McCoy

A tragic encounter with swarming wetland mosquitoes. A mysterious vectored virus. Her child’s death. Margaret’s journey is just beyond her comprehension. Should she trust environmental authorities, or find another answer?

Margaret never dreamed that purchasing her newly remodeled dream cottage on the north end of Houghton Lake, Michigan, would send her family's life spiraling into any parent’s worst nightmare.

Shortly after moving in, the family finds themselves barricaded like prisoners in their own home in a vain attempt to dodge the swarming reconstructed wetland mosquitoes. Nobody's immune to the bug bites, but one-year-old Julia's welts quickly develop into bizarre and unexplainable lesions. In a matter of short hours, baby Julia loses consciousness, and ultimately her life, with no clear explanation as to why.

In the midst of mourning the loss of a child, Margaret throws herself into a desperate search to identify and counter the invisible monster that took her daughter's life. Was it actually a smart vectored virus, or did it have something to do with different toxicities or some other emerging disease in their new environment? And why wasn't anyone giving Margaret a straight answer? What practices did the authorities of these "protected spaces" have to hide?

This powerful memoir asks these questions, and begs one more: Should we just trust our authorities with the safety of our lives, or can we find our own answers to things that are just beyond our comprehension?

©2020 Dr. Margaret Ficaj (P)2022 Dr. Margaret Ficaj