SARAH'S LAST WISH - a book by Eve Hillary
Ancient philosophers often stated that there can be no personal or spiritual growth without pain. Suffering and anguish, we are told, are the brutal conduits to enlightenment; they are the catalysts to inner-questioning, exploration, and ultimately, metamorphosis. Pain and suffering force us to face cold hard truths and help define our ethics.
I am no stranger to pain. As a filmmaker since 1990, I have documented thousands of individual medical nightmares. In truth, I have seen too much...and felt too much hurt. So the prospect of reading about another personal train wreck...another tale of tragedy and heartbreak made me wary. Within the opening pages of Sarah's Last Wish, however, Eve's Hillary's powerful writing immersed me into the world of 11-year old Sarah Westley, a young girl diagnosed with ovarian cancer. . .and there was no turning back.
Sarah's Last Wish is a transformative book, a passionate homage to millions of people harmed by conventional medical institutions. But is also a prayer to return freedom and humanity back to healthcare worldwide.
Sarah's Last Wish shares not only the pain, but the Light that was Sarah, whose childlike, if not Godlike wisdom haunts us with the reminder that the smallest voices can offer the most profound lessons.
As we debate how to create not only a better healthcare system, but a better world, Sarah's Last Wish offers lessons on how our medical systems must change if we are to ever truly reach societal enlightenment. It asks whether we are humane enough to hear the gracious wisdom of an 11-year old girl...and whether we are willing act to preserve all we hold dear about humanity itself.
Kevin P. Miller
Writer/Director
April 2011
posted by Kevin P. Miller at 11:54 PM
3 Comments:
I have read this book and found myself outside on the verandah, a 57 year old crying like I have not cried since I was a child. I have been lucky to meet Eve Hillary and she supported me with our medical nightmare, and helped launch my book about my husband Don's brutalisation in the Australian health care system - as bad as what was done to my husband and it was shocking, for this to be done to a little girl and her family just does not bear consideration - if it had been written as fiction people would have called it exaggeration. On Eve's site in her speech at our book launch she describes the running down of the health care system better than anyone I have ever read. I was so pleased to read your review of her work...which shows a deep understanding of the tragedy that was done to the family and Sarah - a tragedy which no doubt that family will be affected for the rest of their lives - thats the rub - after your loved one has been brutalised for an extended period and killed, sleep takes years to return to normal - you go inside a hospital to visit someone and feel traumatised - you see things differently - and just when you think you are okay - it can all come crashing back. No doubt Sarah's family have this too - but there is a series of horrible images which replay in my head, behind "normal" life and are always there... of late (its been 3and a half years) it goes sometimes and I have a feeling of peace which I haven't had for so long - maybe this will become more as time passes but the families of medically killed people are left reliving and reliving ad nauseum...all the while trying to expose what was done...and there is nobody out there to support you but others such as Eve...private people.
I heard about this from the very time it was happening - I was haunted then and still remain haunted to this very day by this unthinkable event - to know that a beautiful and loving family and one of their precious children was treated like this reinforces my total lack of confidence and respect for mainstream medicine and the associated 'professionals' who were a part of this horrendous treatment. This must never be allowed to continue. Every hospital, every doctor, every nurse, every DOCS employee and many more should be forced to read this book as part of their 'training'. As I said, I am still haunted by what happened to this darling child and her loving family. How lucky they were to have Eve Hillary, I wonder how many others .............
Diana Buckland Queensland, Australia
Dear Kevin Miller,
Diana Buckland here again - I also have another horror story of not only horrendous chemical injury - (five weeks after being sprayed by pesticides in the vineyard he worked in, he became a quadriplegic) - but also includes absolutely appalling neglect and mistreatment in hospital of this poor man - it devastated me to read this also - I have a pdf form of 'Chemical Cowboys' by William Simmons.
Sarah Westley
Don McKay
and William Simmons three of the worst medical horror stories one could hear.
Also The Allan Smith / Vitamin C Story hospital refused to do treatment until forced to by legal action http://uncensored.co.nz/2010/11/28/the-allan-smith-vitamin-c-story/
Diana Buckland, Australia
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