Leigh Hatcher’s journey through Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Contents
Chapter headings
A rare outing in the midst of his illness,
with daughter Johanna, who at 11 beat him
in an ‘Indian Arm Wrestle’. November 1999.
- Into the wilderness
- In the fast lane
- ‘Just get over it’
- Into the pit
- Flickering light
- Hasten slowly
- Turning the corner
- A new life
- A fall with grace
Appendix ‘Meet me where I am’—Caring for those with chronic fatigue or long-term illness
Synopsis:
‘I’m Not Crazy, I’m Just a Little Unwell’ is a reporter’s journey into, through and out of the baffling illness of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It’s a moving personal account of the physical reality, the devastation and alienation suffered by millions around the world in the midst of CFS.
It’s a story with a powerful impact and practical help for anyone in the midst of long term chronic illness.
It’s also a story of the sustaining nature of authentic faith and deep spirituality through ‘the wilderness’.
Leigh Hatcher was arguably at the height of his career when Chronic Fatigue Syndrome turned his life upside down. He had spent 25 years on the frontline of broadcast news as a reporter and news presenter. A former foreign correspondent, national political reporter and Olympic correspondent for the Seven Television Network, he lost it all when illness suddenly intervened.
It began as a viral hepatitis from which he recovered, but his health would never be the same again. ‘I’m Not Crazy I’m Just a Little Unwell’ charts the confusing, frustrating and very physical battle through one of the world’s most mysterious and yet very real illnesses.
Aided by 500,000 words of detailed diaries recorded during his illness, ‘I’m Not Crazy, I’m Just a Little Unwell’ is a reporter’s account of a life-changing upheaval. It’s raw and deeply personal. It’s a narrative exploring the physical manifestations of CFS, as well as the terrible misunderstandings endured by those who suffer it. It’s a struggle to understand and to be understood.
It will give much heart to those enduring the reality of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. For those alongside them, it will shed much needed light on a controversial and deeply puzzling illness.
The book charts the full rollercoaster ride, through the early struggle to come to grips with long-term illness, the loss of both a career that had known much success, as well as many friendships. Then importantly, it details the journey out of CFS. The discovery of a specific solution to Leigh’s illness is one of the distinctives of ‘I’m Not Crazy I’m Just a Little Unwell’.
It’s a story that will bring help and hope to many battling the illness, that maybe there can be a way out for them too.
For others too, caught in the midst of long term chronic illness, there are compelling insights and practical ways which make ‘the long haul’ bearable. Those alongside anyone in the midst of long term suffering will also take away practical ways of how they can smooth out the journey of ‘the hard road’, and be of real ongoing help.
There are also the towering challenges of resuming a career devastated by more than two years in the wilderness of CFS, in particular, coming to grips with the bright lights of television when your confidence is shot to pieces. This is another distinctive of ‘I’m Not Crazy, I’m Just a Little Unwell’ – dealing with an important issue the medical community is only beginning to acknowledge – that of ‘surviving survival’.
It’s also a book that deals honestly with the tough questions about life and faith raised by such an upheaval.
If there is a God, why does He allow sickness and suffering? How is it possible to be sustained over the long-haul of long-term illness, through so much loss and misunderstanding? Where do you go when friends, even in the community of faith, are disappointing and damaging? Can there really be ‘treasures in the darkness’?
There are many rich and moving insights and much raw honesty, as one man travels through a life-defining experience.
The best-selling author, Philip Yancey has lamented that books dealing with the Christian life are ‘…normally written from a perspective outside the tunnel. The author’s viewpoint is already so flooded with light that he forgets the blank darkness inside the tunnel, where many of his readers are journeying.’
‘I’m Not Crazy, I’m Just a Little Unwell’ is written ‘inside the tunnel’, yet it’s also a story of enduring hope. It’s written in a highly personal, engaging and accessible style. It will shed much-needed light for the many people around the world in the midst of CFS and those who are alongside them for the journey. For anyone dealing with the challenge of long term illness or upheaval – here is a story of resilience, grace and hope.