{"product_id":"die-smiling-a-memoir-the-sorrows-and-joys-on-a-journey-to-dignitas-paperback","title":"Die Smiling: A Memoir: The Sorrows and Joys on a Journey to Dignitas - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJulie Casson\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA memoir of a family living with motor neurone disease\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e'A searingly honest tale of love, life and death'\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e - Sarah Wootton, Dignity in Dying\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDie Smiling: A Memoir: The Sorrows and Joys of a Journey to Dignitas by Julie Casson is an unforgettable, deeply human non-fiction memoir that follows one family's path through motor neurone disease (MND\/ALS), enduring love, and the search for dignity, autonomy, and end-of-life choice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Julie's husband, Nigel, begins to lose control of his speech, the couple are propelled into a baffling medical maze - appointments, tests, and the creeping knowledge that something serious is unfolding. The devastating moment arrives: Nigel is told he is believed to have motor neurone disease, \"life-limiting\" with \"no cure.\" What follows is not only an intimate portrait of living with terminal illness, but an unflinching account of what it means to love someone through progressive loss - voice, movement, independence - and still fight for joy, humour, and meaning.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten with candour, elegance, and sharp-witted warmth, Die Smiling is at once a caregiver memoir, a story of family resilience, and a compassionate exploration of palliative care, hospice realities, and the emotional labour of long-term caring. Julie takes readers behind the scenes of everyday life with MND: the practical challenges, the shifting relationships, the private grief, and the fierce tenderness that can exist alongside exhaustion. It is also a memoir that insists on seeing the whole person - Nigel's character, his humour, his determination, and the way laughter can survive even when circumstances are bleak.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCentral to this true story is the question of control. Nigel's belief in choice becomes a guiding force, leading to the decision that the family will travel to Dignitas in Zurich, Switzerland-a name often surrounded by myth, and here described plainly and thoughtfully. Julie clarifies that Dignitas is not a clinic; it is a not-for-profit members' society supporting \"self-determination, autonomy and dignity.\" As the administrative steps intensify and the date approaches, Nigel's motivation is heartbreakingly simple: he wants to die while he is still himself - \"while I can still smile.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe final chapter of this journey is both intimate and startling in its ordinariness: planning, travel, a confirmed date - 25 April -and the family's last day together in Switzerland. When the end comes, Julie records it with clear-eyed restraint: \"Just before noon. Swiss time.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 366\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.82 x 9.25 x 6.02 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 15, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48256755007736,"sku":"9781914487262","price":28.2,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0698\/5629\/7208\/files\/jogWCAs7BC9781914487262.webp?v=1782932609","url":"https:\/\/barneysbooksellers.com\/products\/die-smiling-a-memoir-the-sorrows-and-joys-on-a-journey-to-dignitas-paperback","provider":"Barney's Book Sellers","version":"1.0","type":"link"}