The last act of love : the story of my brother and his sister

A Richard and Judy Book club selection. In the summer of 1990, Cathy's brother Matty was knocked down by a car on the way home from a night out. It was two weeks before his GCSE results, which turned out to be the best in his school. Sitting by his unconscious body in hospital, holding his hand and watching his heartbeat on the monitors, Cathy and her parents willed him to survive. They did not know then that there are many and various fates worse than death. This is the story of what happened to Cathy and her brother, and the unimaginable decision that she and her parents had to make eight years after the night that changed everything. It's a story for anyone who has ever watched someone suffer or lost someone they loved or lived through a painful time that left them forever changed. Told with boundless warmth and affection, The Last Act of Love by Cathy Rentzenbrink is a heartbreaking yet uplifting testament to a family's survival and the price we pay for love. In the summer of 1990 - two weeks before his GCSE results, which turned out to be the best in his school - Cathy Rentzenbrink's brother Matty was knocked down by a car on the way home from a night out, suffering serious head injuries. He was left in a permanent vegetative state. Over the following years, Cathy and her parents took care of Matty - they built an extension onto the village pub where they lived and worked; they talked to him, fed him, bathed him, loved him. But there came a point at which it seemed the best thing they could do for Matty - and for themselves - was let him go. With unflinching honesty and raw emotional power, Cathy describes the unimaginable pain of losing her brother and the decision that changed her family's lives forever. As she delves into the past and reclaims memories that have lain buried for many years, Cathy reconnects with the bright, funny, adoring brother she lost and is finally able to see the end of his life as it really was - a last act of love. Powerful, intimate and intensely moving, this is a personal journey with universal resonance - a story of unconditional love, of grief, survival and the strength of the ties that bind. It's a story that will speak to anyone who has lost someone close to them, to anyone who has fiercely loved a sibling, and to anyone who has ever wondered whether prolonging a loved one's life might be more heartbreaking than saying goodbye. In the summer of 1990 - two weeks before his GCSE results, which turned out to be the best in his school - Cathy Rentzenbrink's brother Matty was knocked down by a car on the way home from a night out, suffering serious head injuries. He was left in a permanent vegetative state. For the next eight years, Cathy and her parents took care of Matty - they built an extension onto the village pub where they lived and worked; they talked to him, fed him, bathed him, held him. Most of all, they loved him. But there came a point at which it seemed the best thing they could do for Matty - and for themselves - was let him go. With unflinching honesty and raw emotional power, Cathy describes the unimaginable pain of losing her brother and the decision that changed her family's lives forever. As she delves into the past and reclaims memories that have lain buried for many years, Cathy reconnects with the bright, funny, adoring brother she lost and is finally able to see the end of his life as it really was - a last act of love. Powerful, intimate and intensely moving, this is a personal journey with universal resonance - a story of unconditional love, of grief, survival and the strength of the ties that bind In The Summer Of 1990, Cathy's Brother Matty Was Knocked Down By A Car On The Way Home From A Night Out. It Was Two Weeks Before His Gcse Results, Which Turned Out To Be The Best In His School. Sitting By His Unconscious Body In Hospital, Holding His Hand And Watching His Heartbeat On The Monitors, Cathy And Her Parents Willed Him To Survive. They Did Not Know Then That There Are Many And Various Fates Worse Than Death. This Is The Story Of What Happened To Cathy And Her Brother, And The Unimaginable Decision That She And Her Parents Had To Make Eight Years After The Night That Changed Everything. It's A Story For Anyone Who Has Ever Watched Someone Suffer Or Lost Someone They Loved Or Lived Through A Painful Time That Left Them Forever Changed. Told With Boundless Warmth And Affection, The Last Act Of Love By Cathy Rentzenbrink Is A Heartbreaking Yet Uplifting Testament To A Family's Survival And The Price We Pay For Love. Cathy Rentzenbrink. Sommeren 1990 ble Cathys bror Matty kjørt ned av en bil på vei hjem fra en kveld på byen. Det var to uker før resultatene for den toårige kvalifikasjonsgraden hans forelå, som viste seg å være den beste på skolen. Ved siden av hans bevisstløse kropp på sykehuset, holdt hun ham i hånda og så på hjerteslagene på monitoren. De visste ikke da at det fantes mange og ulike skjebner verre enn døden. Dette er historien om hva som skjedde med Cathy og hennes bror, og en beslutning som hun og foreldrene måtte ta åtte år etter natta som forandret alt. Det er en historie for alle som noen gang har sett noen lide eller mistet noen de elsket eller levd gjennom en smertefull tid A powerful, timely and incredibly moving memoir in the bestselling tradition of Blake Morrison, Joan Didion and Ruth Picardie.