Title: Honey Blood
Author: Kirsty Everett
Publisher: HarperCollins, Sydney
Publication date: 2021
Genre: Memoir
Reviewer: Jill Fulcher
Kirsty Everett was going to be an Olympic gymnast until she was struck down with leukemia at age 9.
She went through two years of painful treatment, missed school and attended the funerals of other sick children.
Kirsty relapsed at age 16, and the general feeling was that she wouldn’t survive the second fight with leukemia.
She threw herself into school, drama, sports, and a life writing course as she was determined to live every day to the fullest.
Surprisingly, Kirsty survived.
She was asked what the worst thing about cancer is, she said “people” and then she was asked what the best thing about cancer is, she said “people”.
She learnt a lot about people and their attitudes to disease and she learnt about resilience.
I couldn’t put this down and read it in a weekend.
Her treatment for childhood leukemia in the early 80s and the trauma she went through just made me shudder and cry.
How did these little children cope with the pain? And how did the parents manage to stand by and watch?
Kirsty has written this with such detail that you experience the highs and the lows that she went through.
Kirsty’s unfailing confidence that she would beat the disease is a testament to her emotional strength and her family’s support.
Whilst the book Honey Blood covers a very tough topic, it is an absolute must read.
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