Flight of a Lifetime by Philip Watling.

                      Flight of a Lifetime by Philip Watling.

"I was certainly not destined to die; I was not confronted with a tunnel, swirling with luminous mist, or beckoned by distant ancestors tempting me with the promise of everlasting peace and happiness. I did not see a bright light."

You are presented here with an autobiographical account of a tragic accident that occurred to the author and left him struggling between life and death. Very much touch and go. This moving account shows his sheer, gritty determination and courage to pull back from the face of death and to learn those basic skills once more of talking, walking and just generally functioning as a "normal" human being instead of becoming a vegetable. It touches the heart strings and includes personal testimonials from family, friends and medical practitioners emphasizing the seriousness of Philip's head injury and his fight for survival through to his slow recovery. The book gives a very detailed insight into the lengthy treatment and rehabilitation.

In his acknowledgements he shows gratitude to HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) who saved his life. He calls them his angels of mercy. During those frequent dark days Philip never gave up. That golden hour referred to the time when an accident occurred to the victim's arrival in hospital is crucial as the writer points out because it allows the victim the best chances of survival and recovery.

Alan Rocks, the Chief Pilot (HEMS 1988-98) believes that Philip would not have survived without HEMS. He states how "long, painful and exasperating" his recovery has been. "He has had to relearn all the basic functions of speech, walking, eating, vision and all those everyday tasks we take for granted."

So, we start for real with a Prebirth followed immediately with a "Bang" signifying the moment of impact. Philip didn't remember anything at all about the accident but there were plenty of witnesses to enable him to piece together what happened. He alighted from a bus on his way to work, early morning and whilst attempting to cross the road he collided into a car. He was told that he was bounced off the bonnet of the car, flung into the air and twirled around before banging his right temple against the side of the bus. A fold of metal was embossed the side of his head. December 1994.

The collision should have killed him there and then. The P.C. who arrived on the scene informed her Inspector that it would be what the police call FATE-ACC obviously meaning a fatal accident. After the initial bump Philip takes us back to aspects of his life leading up to the accident: his love of school, his struggle to write scientific "A" level essays, interlaced with a poetic, literary style, his poor A level results and being rejected by his preferred universities to finally accepting a place at Queen Mary and Westfield College, something he was not looking forward to; it was unimaginable for him to live "in the dark, dirty, squalid East End of our glorious capital." What dominates is Philip's love for animals and his particular interest in horse-riding. Whilst studying for a B.Sc in zoology he joined a Riding Club and eventually worked there in between studies and post-studies. For animal lovers this will delight you. Before long he was spending his days off at Willowtree enjoying his life until the collision put an end to that.

It became a voyage of self-discovery. Philip questioned whether he was going to live or die probably a lot of the time. Was the event pre-ordained? Of course, no-one ever knows the answers. A stiffneck cervical collar was applied followed by oxygen therapy and he was soon attached to a cardiac monitor. If you are familiar with the Glasgow Coma Score you'll know that 3 is dead whereas 15 is normal. It determines the level of consciousness. Anything below 5 is bad.

"The chances of recovering without a degree of irreparable brain damage are slim." Initially, Philip's score was 5 but it did increase to 6. He had brief shaking periods, classed as fits and unconscious spasms. To have one's life hovering in the balance between life and death must have been traumatic for his family.

Inevitably there were physical signs of trauma noted over a period of time; he became thin, his limbs started to hang loose, his eyes seemed empty, his speech when he regained his power to speak, was incredibly slow and stumbling. Philip's time in rehabilitation covered three hospitals which Philip referred to as his "period of incarceration" and his bay became a "padded cell." One of the many friends who visited after the accident broke down and sobbed when she saw Philip. She hadn't been prepared for what she saw, the change in Philip and she summed up her feelings by referring to his "nearly vegetative state" which meant he could be "like a baby for the rest of his life."

Philip has provided us with detailed accounts of the time spent in the Royal London Hospital followed by his move to the Lister Hospital in Stevenage and finally at the RRU at Northwick Park before his final discharge with his first taste of complete freedom which he relished. He informs us of his busy schedule of occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech therapy. Philip was encouraged to go to RDA-Riding for the Disabled Association in Elstree which helped with his recovery.

He revisited the hospitals once discharged and back in the real world to show his appreciation and made an emotional return to the helipad, his life-saver to meet Richard Branson with a number of other HEMS patients.

This is a moving account of Philip Watling's determination to overcome all the odds and it's always delightful to present you with a true story. Enjoy reading.

REVIEW it by Carol Naylor.

Publisher: Athena Press  ISBN 978-1-909-227-613
COPYRIGHT 2017. Permission must be obtained from  the author before any of this article review is reproduced in any form or other.