Can I Speak to Josephine Please?

Can I Speak To Josephine Please?

By Sheila Brill

Genre:-Non Fiction/Memoir

Pages:-351

Publisher:-Resilient Books

Blurb:-Theirs was an unlikely life together.

 Sheila gave birth to Josephine on 11th May 1993 and for twenty-three years, they c0-existed in a loving, mother-daughter relationship but one with a difference. Josephine suffered catastrophic brain injury at birth, never spoke to Sheila, rarely smiled and was barely able to see the faces of the people who loved her. Josephine's acute disability was the outcome of medical negligence during labour in a London hospital.

Sheila, a former managing editor, and her husband Peter, learned to accept a life revolving around medical emergencies, surgical interventions and the endless daily demands of a profoundly disabled child. It was a steep learning curve. They learned to love their 'wee girl' deeply and Josephine, in her own way, wholly returned their parental love. The book tells about the life of the Brill family as it unfolds and flows alongside that of Josephine's. We learn how Sheila suffered from post-natal PTSD but overcame it, and the birth of Josephine's little brother with all the adjustments the family had to make, both beautiful and challenging. When Josephine was 15, a careers guidance worker called the family. 'Can I speak to Josephine please?' The book's title encapsulates the many levels of disconnect between the outside world and the lives of Josephine and her family. Can I speak to Josephine please? isn't a misery memoir; it's the story of a person who touched the lives of so many people-a bright and beautiful young lady who could 'work the room' despite her enormous limitations. Sheila and Peter are amongst thousands of families who have sued health trusts over negligence during births. In their case, it took six and a half years to reach a settlement which provided financial support to give their daughter the best possible quality of life over her remaining 17 years. According to NHS Resolution figures, the total paid out for clinical negligence relating to maternity care over the past 12 months was £2.6bn. The overall maternity budget for NHS England is £3bn. Sheila commented: "Without systemic review and reform, stories like Josephine's will, sadly, continue to be told.

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My Review:-This is a story of how parents will stop at nothing to make sure that their daughter gets what she entitled to to make life as normal as it could possibly be from birth and into adulthood, due to medical negligence during labour. Josephine's mother Sheila takes us on a journey telling us in her own words what the family has be through and the challenges for a family with a disabled child. Sheila tells us how much love Josephine has and the person she is. This is a book that you need to read yourself and see what life is like with someone with a disability. It is a deeply moving and passionate story.