Bibliofemme Bookclub An Irish Bookclub

Henrietta Spink is a normal woman. She has a job and a husband and when she discovers she is pregnant she is thrilled.

When Henry her son was born, she had a vision of him as a young man silently reading in a library. But quickly it became apparent that all was not right with Henry. He didn’t smile or gurgle at this mother, he didn’t cry and had to be woken to be fed. Spink was devastated and when Henry was a year old he was diagnosed as quadriplegic, with the assumption that he was brain damaged (even though no scan could pick up evidence).

Two years later Freddie, Henry’s younger brother was born. Despite a premature birth and an operation when he was just days old, all seemed to be normal with Freddie. Within months of his birth, though, he was also diagnosed with chronic disabilities. The Spinks were told that he would never, eat, walk or talk properly. Faced with the formidable task of caring for her two disabled children, Henrietta Spink never gave up hope and continued to search for a cure for Henry.

Unable to get assistance from the government to help her care for her children, Spink set up the Henry Spink Foundation, a charity which helps parents to cope with disabled children. Spink comes across as part warrior, part mother and part saint. She refuses to give up on her children and is determined to care for them herself. In a profoundly honest voice Spink explains the day-to-day task of coping with her two children, the loneliness of knowing that they may never communicate properly with her, how her marriage is constantly tested and how friends who cannot cope simply disappear.

Despite her hardship Henrietta Spink has no time for self-pity. She actually comes to see being the mother of two disabled children as “a gift”.

Through her determination she has made her vision come true. Henry, now aged 16, has been partly cured and Freddie, aged 14, can walk stiffly and speak despite being profoundly autistic.

It is impossible not to be affected by this book. Not only because it is natural to be humbled by the challenges facing any parent of a disabled child, but because Spink invites you into her home and teaches you about the daily battle she endures. I was quite reluctant to read this, as I am not good at coping with disability, but Spink has written a book that reads like a thriller. Her constant battle to gain assistance from the government, her absolute belief in her son’s abilities and most importantly her unbelievable courage in the face of a truly awesome task.

This book will teach you many things and by the end, you like me, will want to nominate Henrietta Spink for sainthood.