BEATING THE ODDS
“Inspirational” and “get up and go” don’t really do justice to Ray Edwards, a man whose indomitable spirit has seen him triumph against appalling odds.
At the age of 27 he overcame Hodgkins disease but then five years later while working as a builder, Ray cut his hand on a clogged drain, triggering a horrific sequence of life changing events. The married father of infant twins was close to death when he was admitted to hospital suffering with kidney failure and septicaemia. Doctors were forced to amputate his arms and legs to save his life.
I’m Still Standing is Ray’s honest, searing account of how he has managed to re-build his life as a quad amputee. The journey has been tough with bouts of severe depression, marital breakdown and hopelessness. Yet Ray fought back. He re-married, founded the British based charity Limbcare and in 2011 was awarded an MBE for his services to charity. In the words of this remarkable man “Anyone can overcome anything with enough determination”. This astonishing book is both humbling and inspiring.
Reviewed by Juliette Foster
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