These Fragments I Have Shored: A Memoir

When Jason Irwin visits his mother two days before Christmas, he finds her in bed, racked with pain. Later that night, at the ER, the doctor on duty delivers a diagnosis neither Jason nor his mother is prepared for: terminal cancer.

These Fragments I Have Shored tells of the unique bond between mother and son. One narrative chronicles Irwin's role as caregiver during the final 35 days of his mother's life, while the other tells of Jason's fight to break free and live a "normal life" despite being born with multiple and life-threatening birth defects. While struggling to keep Jason healthy through a string of hospitalizations and surgeries, his mother internalizes feelings of guilt and shame, stemming from her unresolved childhood trauma, her failed marriage to Jason's father, and her years working low-paying, part-time jobs to survive.

Jason's growing independence, his moving away to attend graduate school to study poetry, coincides with his mother's own deteriorating health and financial decline, forever changing the dynamic of their relationship. Yet, through all their ups and downs, a mutual love of music, reading, and the quirky absurdities of life holds them together.