Flight of a lifetime

Reviewed by Scarlett Jensen for Readers' Favourite Flight of a Lifetime by Philip Watling describes his early childhood and development. Philip was 23 when his accident happened. He was thrown head first into the side of a bus, a fraction of an inch away from death on arrival at the hospital in London. In his view, the emergency flight in the helicopter was indeed a miraculous lifesaver. He remembers nothing of the five weeks that followed. Once he had regained consciousness, problems remained with his balance, vision, walking, speech, and motor skills. The chances of recovering without a degree of irreparable brain damage were slim. However, with time and lots of physiotherapy, speech therapy, and mental and physical rehabilitation, he went forward with hope and felt blessed by good fortune at the same time. Philip has done his best to see the inspirational good in what has happened. He was out of hospital after a mere five months. The major change in his life may never have happened had it not been for the accident. He then undertook to find his biological mother, Elizabeth. Maybe there was a reason for his continuing life. Flight of a Lifetime is a work of encouragement and appreciation for the love, support, and complete dedication he received. The lesson is never to lose heart and hope and to delve into the self to seek everlasting peace, happiness, and humour. Philip Watling's determination and courage can only be applauded. By the summer of 1997, he realized that he was stronger and fitter than he had been before his accident. The value of this story lies in his sharing knowledge specific to other head injury patients. This book lets your mind shift and awakens you to a world of possibilities. Greater opportunities await each of us with the prerequisite of pushing past perceived limitations, doubt, and fear. For Philip, poor self-talk can destroy the self-defeating thoughts. He demonstrates his fearless ability to fight, try new things, and navigate his body, mind, and soul toward recovery and to better himself. Philip's writing style is simple and clear. Any person who survives a near-fatal accident will find inspiration in this book to learn how to resume a meaningful life and an independent future. Respectfully reviewed by: Dominick P. Varsalone RN, ACRN Photographer, and Author of ""My Journey as an AIDS Nurse"", published 2016 When a human being writes their story of their life, death, and resurrection, it is always an emotional read. As a registered Nurse in AIDS Care, I could easily identify with every word written in this book and actually view it from both the patient perspective and the healthcare professional perspective. This has to do, I am sure, with Philip's writing style. Reading each chapter, I felt I was with him as part of the healthcare teams' every moment from the time of his accident until the glorious day of discharge. The people he encountered on his journey became my colleagues, my friends and my family. Every step of Philip's recovery became my struggle, as I felt I was there holding him up too. I have read many memoirs, and I have even written my own, and ""Flight of a Lifetime"" was one of the best I have read. While I hung on to every part of the book, my favourite part was the ending. I hope and pray that this type of accident will never happen to another human being, and I do not mean any disrespect in saying this, but ""When someone gets this close t