Not A Leg To Stand On

This book tells the story of one man's journey from happiness to despair and back again. At thirty-two and at the peak of health, D.D. Mayers lived in a Kenyan paradise with his beautiful wife. Then tragedy struck; an accident left him paralysed from the waist down, destined to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Mayers takes the reader on an emotional yet witty and amusing tour of his life, guiding us from his childhood (and the ‘pointless' schooling he receives) through to his emergence as a young man who somehow finds himself earning money as a professional actor. One role takes him to Kenya, where we meet his wonderful wife, and we join the two for a trip through the Middle East, many years before war ravaged much of its warmth and beauty. After moving to London for a number of years, the couple return to Kenya - only for them to experience a life-changing event. The gripping storytelling throughout the book takes us from the author’s despair and feelings of worthlessness all the way through to a final, peaceful contentment. You will laugh and you will cry - but you won’t be able to put the book down.

Originally published: New York: Summit Books, 1984.

Mary O'Brien never let the grass grow under her feet, even though she lost both legs at the age of two in a farm accident. As Ireland's first double amputee to be fitted with artficial limbs she soon learned to ride a bicycle and careered off into a full life. Now with colour and humour Mary charts the milestones along the way: Growing up in a large family where her accident was never discussed. Her years as just another of the girls at a convent boarding school. Working as an Occupational Therapist for 30 years through a revolution in mental health care. Meeting and marrying John and raising two sons. Learning to swim and then going on to win Triple Gold at the Disabled Games and Stoke Mandeville. Studying Art, teaching it, and gaining wide recognition as a professional artist. Being awarded an M.B.E. Between these pivotal moments Mary describes all other trials, tribulations and triumphs of a remarkable life. Through it all, she stands tall on the only limbs she has ever known while her warm vivid memories present a unique picture of Ireland since the Second World War. They will inspire readers to constantly reach beyond their limitations and make their mark.

Here the doctor becomes the patient, as Dr. Sacks chronicles the mountaineering accident which left him with the uncanny feeling of being "legless," and raises profound questions of the physical basis of identity. In A Leg To Stand On, it is Dr. Sacks himself who is the patient: an encounter with a bull on a desolate mountain in Norway has left him with a severely damaged leg. But what should be a routine recuperation is actually the beginning of a strange medical journey, when he finds that his leg uncannily no longer feels a part of his body. Sacks's description of his crisis and eventual recovery is not only an illuminating examination of the experience of patienthood and the inner nature of illness and health, but also a fascinating exploration of the physical basis of identity.

When Tim McHenry first set eyes on Dixie, he sensed that his life would never be quite the same. Dixie had been hit by a car which resulted in the loss of her left front leg. She was given a second chance thanks to the compassion of a shelter director and the skill of a generous veterinarian. Tim adopted Dixie. Her rehabilitation became Tim's responsibility. Little did he know that he would be the one who would soon need rescuing. Together, Tim and Dixie discovered that their extraordinary love would ultimately lead them on a path to redemption and give them both a leg to stand on.