Accessories

Very interesting
this memoir was. What a an act of courage (the word bravery comes to mind also) that Jeffrey's father had at the time of his sons accident. It is just a short fast read but it packed full of insight. The hardback has a haunting picture on its cover..

Human tragedy: A lawyer with nobody to sue
When I first starting reading this book my frame of reference was Christopher Reeve's book "Still Me", about the struggles of facing quadriplegia after a tragic accident. I found Mr. Reeve's book inspiring in many ways and disheartening in other ways. Mr. Reeve was wealthy enough, and had multiple insurance and disability policies to fund a private clinic in his own home, with a full time staff of nurses, aides and therapists. In Mr. Galli's book, I was disheartened more than anything else. For a large part of the book he weighs the pros and cons of ending his son's life, not considering what his son would want to do. We're not talking about a brain dead person here, just how his son's new life of incapacity and dependence will impact his parents. Mr. Galli, in the irony of ironies, is an attorney, and is facing the prospect of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars in costs caring for his son over his lifetime, and has nobody to sue. That seems to be a strong undercurrent in this book. Not just "Whose Life Is It Anyway?", but who pays for the continuance of this life in anyplace other than a lousy nursing home? This is really an issue for our society to deal with. I'm not sure if I want my taxes and health insurance costs to go up enough to cover paying $500,000. a year for every handicapped person who wants to remain at home to get all of the services that are required. And I was also very turned off by Mr. Galli's appeal for funds to pay for his son's care. Christopher Reeve solicited money for his foundation to do research and give out "quality of life" grants to paralyzed individuals, not for his personal use. Mr. Galli wants people to send in money to his son's trust fund to lighten the burden on himself.
When I was a kid, and I am in my mid 50's, the phrase "accidents happen" was an accepted part of life. Today it seems that the accepted standard is that "negligence happens", and that there is almost always someone to sue.
Jeffrey Galli had an extremely unfortunate accident. But I do believe that accidents happen, and I will continue to take care of my family members, and the Gallis, and their family and friends, should take care of theirs. And when you can no longer care for your son the same dreadful nursing homes will be available to you that the rest of us are stuck with for our loved ones.

Outstanding
This is a finely written memoir of a dreadful event -- a swimming accident that left the author's teenaged son paralyzed. The story takes us over the first days after the accident -- a time when the parents are trying to balance their son's options -- and the possibility of terminating life support. This is a very moving book, and I could not help but be profoundly impressed by the son, Jeffrey, along with his family and the network of supportive friends. I recommend this book without reservation. On another, perhaps less important note, I should mention that the author is also a very good writer. It is frequent in memoir books that I overlook style because of the content. But in this case, the content was very moving, as I said; the writing was very, very good. One last comment -- I cannot help but wonder if the negative reviewers finished the book. They might be surprised.

Sharing Experiences
When my son was also injured in a diving accident in 1991 just pior to his 29th birthday, one of the counselors talked with me about the variances in each level of injury... and the variances within each level. This book relates totally ... and likewise, not at all. Such injuries do encompass such huge differences and yet still create huge bonds amongst SCI families and their friends. In 1991, I didn't have the availability of all the resources that can now be found so easily on the web... this improvement in availability is an additional tool in helping us learn and in helping us share/teach; alongside the medical improvements that increase the quality of life for those in wheelchairs. The wheelchair is what people see; the reality is so much more. As a mother, I appreciated reading the reactions from the other side of the parenting role... a father's honesty and truth... I know it was not easily exposed. Different angles of perception; same levels of love. Thank you, Jeffrey, as your father wrote... for sacrificing your privacy so he could tell the story.

Brutally honest and brave
When a tragedy such as the one Richard Galli experienced in his family occurs, the family is expected to nod in agreement at platitudes from well-meaning aquaintences such as , "At least he's still alive." But sometimes we're not truly glad our loved one is alive. Sometimes our love is so deep and the prognosis is so bad that we want to say, "NO!" But it is rare to have the courage to admit it if our society would be more cmfortable otherwise.

Richard Galli obviously shared his feelings with rare honesty. He didn't tell a sappy story that would make us feel better. He told the truth. It is apparent that he didn't write for the popular commercial success, but for more personal and intimate reasons. Those who dare to read it with an open heart can benefit from his bravery in sharing his thoughts and feelings with no regard for what anyone not in his situation might think.