Me-Before-You-by-Jojo-Moyes

Falling out of chairs seemed to be a common theme. And there were threads
about suicide – those who wanted to, those who encouraged them to give
themselves more time, to learn to look at their lives in a different way. I read
each thread, and felt like I was getting a secret insight into the workings of Will’s
brain.
At lunchtime I left the library and went for a brief walk around town to clear
my head. I treated myself to a prawn sandwich and sat on the wall watching the
swans in the lake below the castle. It was warm enough for me to take off my
jacket, and I let my face tilt towards the sun. There was something curiously
restful about watching the rest of the world getting on with its business. After
spending all morning stuck in the world of the confined, just being able to walk
out and eat my lunch in the sun felt like a freedom.
When I had finished, I walked back to the library, reclaimed my computer
terminal. And I took a breath and typed a message.
Hi – I am the friend/carer of a 35 yo C5/6 quadriplegic. He was very successful and dynamic in his
former life and is having trouble adjusting to his new one. In fact, I know that he does not want to
live, and I am trying to think of ways of changing his mind. Please could anyone tell me how I could
do this? Any ideas for things he might enjoy, or ways I could get him to think differently? All advice
gratefully received.
I called myself Busy Bee. Then I sat back in my chair, chewed at my thumbnail
for a bit, and finally pressed ‘Send’.
When I sat down at the terminal the next morning, I had fourteen answers. I
logged into the chat room, and blinked as I saw the list of names, the responses
which had come from people worldwide, throughout the day and night. The first
one said:
Dear Busy Bee,
Welcome to our board. I’m sure your friend will gain a lot of comfort from having someone looking
out for him.
I’m not so sure about that, I thought.
Most of us on here have hit a definite hump at some point in our lives. It may be that your friend has
hit his. Don’t let him push you away. Stay positive. And remind him that it is not his place to decide
both when we enter and depart this world, but that of the Lord. He decided to change your friend’s
life, in His own wisdom and there may be a lesson in it that He –