Extract from the book…
..my son Paull was admitted to Canberra Hospital. He was confirmed as having AIDS…
During his time at St Vincent’s and in the hospice I came to know many of the gay community and their generous spirit of caring…Paull was not a homosexual, but the gay community were wonderful to me…there was then, and will always remain for me, a sense of gratitude for their compassion.
Perhaps this story will help some parents or young people who face their own real war understand the family pain that comes with addiction…
…the complete staff of the League was at his funeral, as were many of …the gay community. The change in one’s philosophical approach to life is rarely instant, as one does not go to bed at night a prejudiced person and wake up with a liberated mind. For me, change came with the realisation that I was possibly intolerant and patronising without fully realising it…to be judgmental about how others choose to live no longer plays any part in my life. I only care about the true spirit of a person, the ideals they believe in and whether they honestly care about those around them. We can all learn from one another, particularly when we are at the lowest ebb in our lives. Only then, I believe, are we able to understand what is important, filter out the bad and keep all the good stuff forever.
…To read the full story click here to purchase One More Walk Around the Block