The Gift A Memoir of Life Before and After Stroke eBook Nigel Williams John Krakauer
Download As PDF : The Gift A Memoir of Life Before and After Stroke eBook Nigel Williams John Krakauer 
'The Gift' describes briefly how its author, Nigel Williams, came to be the person who suffered a catastrophic brain hemorrhage on August 18, 2005, and then focuses on what he and his newlywed wife Dorothea did about it their pursuit of a self-devised rehabilitation program, in the absence of effective medical alternatives, their activities on behalf of fellow patients, and their successful battles with post-stroke central pain syndrome, and with the depression linked to it.
Leading neuroscientist Professor John Krakauer, of Johns Hopkins University, describes in a foreword the full extent of Nigel's injuries, the unusual nature of his recovery, and the sorry state of stroke rehabilitation in the United States. Thereafter, the first part of ‘The Gift’ tells the story of Nigel’s recovery from his viewpoint, and the second part contains Dorothea's observations on Nigel's narrative.
The first three chapters of ‘The Gift’ move us briskly from the two bright starbursts that were Nigel's first indication that he was having a brain hemorrhage, through six weeks of acute care in hospital, to his return home, his commencement of outpatient rehabilitation, and the marriage of Nigel and Dorothea. Chapters 4 and 5 then cover the previous thirty-five years, of first love at Oxford University, a highflying career, and two marriages, leading up to Nigel’s meeting with Dorothea. Chapter 6 returns us to the present, and tracks Nigel’s and Dorothea's progress in his rehabilitation over the next five years. Chapters 7 and 8 address their response to a major Manhattan hospital's request that they share the lessons from their unconventional rehabilitation approach with patients and caregivers, which they did through literally scores of group talks and peer visits, described selectively in the two chapters. Finally, two further chapters describe how Nigel and Dorothea came to grips with the unending post-stroke central pain that Nigel suffers, and with the depression that invisibly came to weigh on them both, though they recognized it only dimly at the time.
Dorothea's perspective in part two of ‘The Gift’ makes clear the huge role that the caregiver plays in successful brain injury rehabilitation, and the effort that this requires. As both of them remind us, an essential part of recovery is frequent, large doses of laughter along the way.
The Gift A Memoir of Life Before and After Stroke eBook Nigel Williams John Krakauer
I didn't think I wanted to read a book on stroke, but it is so common in my family that I bought this book. Within the first few pages I was warmed by the author's authenticity, his humor and just good writing. I finished it in 2 days and gave it to a friend whose brother has just had a stroke. She loved it and passed it on to others in her family.As I am thinking about this book I realize it has made my life better because I live with more courage since reading it. This is a gem.
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The Gift A Memoir of Life Before and After Stroke eBook Nigel Williams John Krakauer Reviews
I met him and his wife, then heard about his story. It's a worthwhile read.
This is a beautiful and inspiring true story of a successful executive whose world was turned upside down with a devastating stroke. It tells how, with persistence, humour, some despair, and the support of a good woman, Nigel Williams charted a path to recovery and even found deeper meaning in his life. This book is certainly a 'must read' for everyone who has experienced a stroke - either personally or through friends and family members - but will also be enjoyed by anyone who wants to be inspired by the strength of the human spirit to rise above adversity and journey towards the light.
You’re in the prime of life, a former classics scholar and an Oxford Blue squash player, and for the last several years you have been a senior partner with no less than three of the top global consulting firms. To cap it all, you have recently set up homes in Manhattan and New England with the love of your life. What could possibly go wrong? A totally unexpected stroke is what, bringing you within minutes of death and leaving you mute and paralysed, but with all your mental faculties intact. This is the story of how a very determined man overcame medically impossible odds to work his way back to living as normal a life as possible.
One of Williams’ guiding desires since his “accident” has been to help others in the same position. As soon as he was able (and before his medical team thought he was) he was giving comforting and inspirational advice to fellow sufferers and their families. This book is another manifestation of that desire and includes Five Golden Rules for fighting back. His physical condition suggests the composition must have cost an enormous amount of effort.
The effort was not only physical. The searing honesty with which this book is written must have been costly too. Williams spares himself nothing, from regrets about the end of his first relationship, through a traumatic first marriage and its lengthy and distressing aftermath, to the range of semi-coherent, frightening thoughts and the severe pain and depression that followed the stroke. He omits few details of the various medical treatments and prognostications that came his way and shares with the reader the difficulty of choosing between various rehab options and then the difficulty of sticking with them. His intellectual curiosity and analytical skills come to the fore, as he explores the works of philosophers and theologians as well as medical practitioners to make sense of pain. The study is not just academic he learns how his defences against pain affect his personal interactions and adapts his behaviour accordingly.
Through all the physical and psychological traumas Williams describes, one thing shines like a beacon and that is his love for Dorothea, the woman he had just fallen madly in love with and who became his third wife. She saved his life, shared his pain and guided his recovery, sometimes at the cost of ferocious arguments with Williams himself. Williams is rightly loving and grateful and it is only fitting that the last section of the book presents her insightful angle on the shocking events her remarkable husband describes.
Stroke. Cancer. Heart attack. These are the pithy words we have all learned to fear and respect. In a syllable or two they instantly convey the harsh reality of mortality. Not surprisingly, those who have survived such an assault often wish to share with others what they have experienced. A rich body of literature has thus come into being. Nigel Williams’ new book, The Gift, is a remarkable contribution to the canon. In his case, fate dealt him a stroke; how he survived and managed his recovery has broad implications for any shattering illness.
A virtually instant transition from a remarkable and highly successful career as a global management consultant to near complete incapacitation is almost inconceivable. Williams manages to write about this without – in Joseph Brodsky’s term – granting himself the status of a victim. The path to the level of recovery he has achieved has been painful, rocky, and often almost indescribably hard. Yet the account of how he has achieved this is remarkably free of self-pity or sentimentality. Indeed, it is infused with wit and humor.
This is not a “guide to stroke recovery” book. It is an almost cool description of what can be done to recover from a severe, near lethal stroke to a degree that goes far beyond what “normal” expectations would predict. The power of the work is that Williams has the ability write about what it takes in a way that makes it clear he is not super-human. Hugely determined, yes. Unwilling to quit, yes. But all in a way that communicates that steady progress – way, way beyond what conventional wisdom holds – is achievable.
That is a powerful message; one that Williams in recent years has shared through dozens of group talks and peer visits. Now, through this book, many more have access to this rich learning experience.
There is much more to be found in this slim volume erudite wisdom, lessons on dealing with pain and depression, tenderness and stoicism intertwined. Dorothea Williams, Nigel’s wife, contributes a hugely useful addendum from the vantage of the caregiver, without whom little of this miracle would have come to pass. And the foreword, by the noted neuroscientist Professor John Krakauer, of Johns Hopkins University, is an eloquent summary of the value to others of what Nigel Williams has achieved.
I didn't think I wanted to read a book on stroke, but it is so common in my family that I bought this book. Within the first few pages I was warmed by the author's authenticity, his humor and just good writing. I finished it in 2 days and gave it to a friend whose brother has just had a stroke. She loved it and passed it on to others in her family.
As I am thinking about this book I realize it has made my life better because I live with more courage since reading it. This is a gem.
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