Patient 71 a book review

Patient 71 is the intensely personal retelling of the hours, weeks, months and years of Julie’s life from the moment she was told she had terminal cancer.

Duffy’s Review Of Patient 71

By the time I was 20 pages in, I felt I knew Julie and her family life. The deep wave of emotion which ran over me when the news of Julie’s terminal cancer was delivered was unexpected and certainly triggered painful memories of losing my beloved grandparents, so be prepared for these moments.
Patient 71 highlights the resolve and spirit of an average Australian family. How the humdrum of an average day that can change in the blink of an eye; where families quickly adjust from chatting at breakfast about Australian Idol and where to go on holiday, to who will drive a loved one to a scan and where the money for chemo treatment will come from.
Julie Randall is headstrong, smart and came across as having boundless love for her husband and daughters. She can also be a little sarcastic and cranky too, but hey, if I was told my seemingly healthy happy body was riddled with death inducing tumours, I might be forgiven for being a little emotional, snappy and erratic!

Who Should Read Patient 71

Anyone looking for hope, inspiration, and a solid Australian human interest story without too much sentimentality.  Patient 71 isn’t all heartbreak and chemo; there are some laughs too. It’s all facets of one life and a story, which is unfortunately too common and incredibly unfair. Hundreds are diagnosed with cancer every day in Australia, and Patient 71 just happens to be one person’s decision to say ‘not just yet’.
5stars – A must read.  Buy right now for $16.99!
Read if you liked Love Your Sister and Because We Are Bad

Patient 71 Book Blurb

An inspiring true story of resilience, tenacity and a promise that fuelled one woman’s fight for life.

Four days after her fiftieth birthday celebrations, Julie Randall suffered a very sudden and severe seizure at work. Out of the blue she went from fit, healthy, fun-loving wife and mother of two, to not knowing what had happened. Or why.Rushed to hospital by ambulance, it was discovered Julie had a malignant brain tumour. Diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Advanced Melanoma, she was told to get her affairs in order because she didn’t have long to live.After getting over the initial shock, Julie fought off the fear and started searching for hope. She found an American experimental drug trial, but was only room for 70 patients and the numbers were full. Julie had promised her teenage daughters that she would find a way to ‘fix it’ so she refused to take no for an answer. Her tenacity paid off and she flew to Oregon and the Providence Cancer Center to become PATIENT 71.Not everyone survives a cancer diagnosis. Julie is one of the lucky ones. She discovered that when you push the boundaries, refuse to give up and never lose sight of your goal… extraordinary things can happen.