ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Harper

Image of author Mary Pieroni Harper wearing a nice black top and a colorful necklace

Mary Harper, an avid reader since childhood, lives in Houston, TX with her rescue cat Lily, a mischievous but blind tuxedo cat. Nobody wanted the little blind kitten, but Mary didn’t hesitate. Mary knows about blindness. She is the youngest of four sighted children raised by parents who were both totally blind.

In the forthcoming biography The Sound of Her Voice: My Blind Parents’ Story, she documents their remarkable lives from the time they fell in love at the Indiana School for the Blind through their challenges, determination, and successes.

Born in Muncie, Indiana and a graduate of the University of Virginia, Mary earned her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Houston. Perhaps as a legacy from helping her parents with everything from reading their mail to them to inspecting their clothing for spots, she has always been interested in helping others. She became active in the Fibromyalgia Association of Houston after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1992 and served in leadership capacities, including newsletter editor of The Fibromyalgia Connection, and as president for fifteen years.

Mary has two adult children and loves being a grandmother. They are part of the legacy her husband, Jeff, left behind when he died after a short battle with cancer in 2012.