Sometimes we are given a reminder of just how much life has changed for the better and in in remembering we realise how short our memories can be and how quickly we come to take facilities, technology and even relationships for granted. This story reminds us to be grateful not just for the work of pioneers like Mary Butterwick but for so many of the wonderful things, which we often consider little, and take for granted every day. Devastated by the poor care her husband received at the end of his life, Mary Butterwick sold her home, making herself homeless, to help fund her dream of better care for the terminally ill. Mary had none of the advantages many of us think necessary to make a difference in the world yet she has improved the lives of thousands and continues to do so. Her story, told here in a lively and engaging way, is an inspirational read and one that will encourage anyone who hopes for a better world.

This is the story of why and how the Butterwick Hospice and its ministries, based in Stockton-on -Tees, came into being. The first eighty (of one hundred and ninety pages) are a description of Mary Butterwick's early life, her marriage to John and his death, in 1979, from a tumour on his lung which spread to his brain. In his last hours, a Ward Sister told her, 'You can't do anything for your husband now. The best thing you can do is go home and forget him.' (p. 70). It was this, and other aspects of the way John and she were treated by current medical practices, that determined her 'to put back into the world some of the care she felt was lacking.' (p. 83). She became involved in Hospital Chaplaincy, trained as a bereavement counsellor, bringing Cruse Bereavement Care to the area, and set up 'Coping with Cancer'. The 'John Butterwick Day Care Centre' has now developed into a purpose built Hospice, with adults' and children's beds, links to local Hospitals and a set of palliative care nurses. Unlike other Hospice pioneers such as Cicely Saunders and Monica Pearce, Mary did not come from a medical background, but this did not deter her. She approached the scheme from the point of view of patients and their families, and through patience and determination, has succeeded, being recognised with an OBE, the Freedom of Stockton and an honorary degree. Carmel Thomason, a freelance writer and journalist, has listened to Mary Butterwick's account, and to the stories of her colleagues in this enterprise. She writes with admiration, but not as a pious hagiographer. Anyone who is frightened by what they have undertaken to do will be heartened and encouraged by this 'Life'.