Table Of ContentI thought I had written the last chapter in tragedy when our son,
Jimmy,diedofleukaemiaattheageofeight.Iwaswrong.SueGrant’s
moving account of Alex’s illness and death seared through my soul
afresh;herwordstransportedmebacktotheroleofhelplessobserver,
unable to prevent the suffering and death of yet another young life.
What could be crueller than the irony of a body wrecked by the
treacheryofitsownmalfunctioningcells?Whatindeed–exceptAlex
himself,ashestartedoutonlifewithalltheoptimism,sensitivityand
dignityofnewadulthood,onlytobesuddenlyenslavedtoapainful
existenceoftotaldependence.Alex’sstorywasoneforwhichcancer
itself had already written the last chapter. However, his mother’s
beautifulbookisapostscripttocancer,proofthatnotevencancercan
destroyAlex’sspirit,ashewalksaheadof usleadingthewayonhis
twobluesticks,anindestructiblesymbolofcourageandlove.Shame
onushumans,whoinventeverbetterwaystokilleachotherinsteadof
poolinghumanresourcesworldwidetofindthecureandprevention
of cancer. But we won’t give up, Alex. We won’t.
Jane Renouf, journalist and author of
Jimmy – No Time to Die, HarperCollins
When I started to read Standing On His Own Two Feet, interruptions
becameasourceofrealresentment–Ijustwantedtoreadandreadto
theend.SueGrantnotonlyhasareal-lifetragedytotell,butshetellsit
withsuchlucidityandartistrythatthereaderisdrawnintothestory
effortlessly.
I found myself entering into the experiences and emotions she
describes, the more so because of her honesty, sensitivity and
occasionalhumourandarefreshingabsenceofsentimentality.Thisis
not only a book from which health care professionals could gain
invaluable insights, but one which has the potential to make any
reader more fully human.
Sister Frances Dominica, founder of Helen House Children’s Hospice,
Oxford, and Douglas House, a respice for young adults, Oxford
of related interest
Attending to the Fact - Staying with Dying
Hilary Elfick and David Head
Foreword by Andrew Hoy
ISBN 1 84310 247 1
Being Mindful, Easing Suffering
Reflections on Palliative Care
Christopher Johns
ISBN 1 84310 212 9
Spirituality, Healing and Medicine
Return to the Silence
David Aldridge
ISBN 1 85302 554 2
Writing My Way Through Cancer
Myra Schneider
ISBN 1 84310 113 0
Health, the Individual, and Integrated Medicine
Revisiting an Aesthetic of Health Care
David Aldridge
ISBN 1 84310 232 3
Journeys into Palliative Care
Roots and Reflections
Edited by Christina Mason
ISBN 1 84310 030 4
Spirituality in Health Care Contexts
Edited by Helen Orchard
Foreword by Julia Neuberger
ISBN 1 85302 969 6
Standing On His Own Two Feet
A Diary of Dying
Sue Grant
Foreword by David Clark
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia
All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced in any material form
(including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not
transiently or incidentally to some other use ofthis publication) without the written permission
ofthe copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions ofthe Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988 or under the terms ofa licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd,
90 Tottenham Court Road, London, England W1T 4LP. Applications for the copyright owner’s
written permission to reproduce any part ofthis publication should be addressed to the
publisher.
Warning: The doing ofan unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a
civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.
The right ofSue Grant to be identified as author ofthis work has been asserted by her in
accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This edition first published in 2005
by Jessica Kingsley Publishers
116 Pentonville Road
London N1 9JB, UK
and
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
www.jkp.com
Copyright © Sue Grant 2005
Foreword copyright © David Clark 2005
Library ofCongress Cataloging in Publication Data
Grant, Sue, 1954-
Standing on his own two feet : a diary ofdying / Sue Grant ; Foreword by David Clark.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-1-84310-368-4 (pbk.)
ISBN-10: 1-84310-368-0 (pbk.)
1. Grant,Alexander--Health.2. Bones--Cancer--Patients--GreatBritain--Biography.3. Ter-
minally ill--Great Britain--Biography. I. Title.
RC280.B6G735 2005
362.196'99471'0092--dc22
2005001867
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN-13: 978 1 84310 368 4
ISBN-10: 1 84310 368 0
ISBN pdfeBook: 1 84642 123 3
Printed and Bound in Great Britain by
Athenaeum Press, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear
For Alexander with Love
Contents
Foreword 9
David Clark
Prologue 11
Chapter 1. Starting Out 15
Chapter 2. Moving to Independency 28
Chapter 3. Back to Square One 39
Chapter 4. Life in Hospital 50
Chapter 5. Life at Home 62
Chapter 6. A New Leg 72
Chapter 7. Mixed Outlook 84
Chapter 8. Better Days 96
Chapter 9. Happiness 108
Chapter 10. Relapse 121
Chapter 11. Winding Down 131
Chapter 12. The Last Weeks 144
Chapter 13. Saying Goodbye 157
Chapter 14. Bridges 168
USEFUL ORGANIZATIONS 172
RECOMMENDED READING 173
Description:Alexander had just begun his studies at university when he was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer. In this honest account, Alex's mother traces the impact of the diagnosis on the whole family and outlines the issues that arose during diagnosis, treatment and terminal stages of her son's illness. Stan
