It happened to me often - the last time just a couple of weeks ago - to be faced with the unexpected turns of fate, when someone close to me just in a matter of minutes is challenged by a terrible, life threatening illness. The sickness and incapacity took control in just a couple of minutes of the mind and body. You don't know what will happen next and if after you say 'good bye' today there will be a tomorrow of you two.
The newest book by Monica Bhide, a very talented author that I often feature on my blog, is about the very experience of seeing someone dear falling deep into the painful seas of physical uncertainties. I See You. Observations from the ICU. A Caregiver's Journey is not aimed at raising fundamental questions about life and death and the life after, but about the day by day challenge of surviving alongside with someone close going through a very complicated health-related episode.
While her husband is in coma, she is observing the new environment, with the curiosity of the writer, while trying to get used with the dramatic reality. In such situations, only your curiosity can actually save you from deep sadness and the overwhelming feeling of being just a puppet of destiny. For good and for worse, things can change and you are just a witness of all those chain of events. What you can do, in fact, as a writer and creator of words-made worlds, is to gather those experiences, filter through your personal art and offer inspiration to those suddenly found themselves in a similar situaiton. It is a noble task to offer spiritual help without promising ultimate explanations. It is this sequence of life through the eyes of a caregiver that in fact never considered being a caregiver. Observations from the ICU, a place where you never wanted to find yourself in the first place.
Life doesn't come with an user guide anyway so we are left with its incertitudes and unexpected shocks and drama. Books like the one authored by Monica Bhide is a practical guidance to go on with that.
Rating: 5 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered by the author in exchange for an honest review
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