Forever Baby: Jenny’s Story - A Mother’s Diary

Forever Baby: Jenny’s Story - A Mother’s Diary
Mary Burbidge

“I have a darling baby. A patient placid baby who nuzzles warmly into her sheepskin and gives me a sleepy smile when I come in. She sits up, bounces happily and reaches out for a cuddle …”“I’ve had my darling baby for nearly twenty years now and unless something happens, I guess I’ll have her for another twenty years.”Praise for Forever Baby –“Mary’s writing has the quality of being both a participant and an observer. As a participant in a life and death voyage, she writes with emotional force. As an observer, there are some great passages of acute observation and stark – sometimes black – humour.“But the dominant emotion is love: love given by Mary and the Burbidge Family to their daughter Jenny; love given by Jenny to Mary and family. A special love for a special child, which we are privileged, through this book, to share.”The Hon. Joan Kirner, former Premier of Victoria“Some people just burn with a brighter flame, and Mary Burbidge, doctor, mother and fierce diarist, is one of them. When Mary gave birth over twenty years ago to a disabled baby girl, she began writing from the heart to make sense and meaning of her life.“I have quoted Mary’s experience in one of my own books, but I could never have suspected the dramatic turn of events that would conclude this story. The gritty, heart-bursting world of parenting is captured in a way that I have rarely met elsewhere, but the drama, transcendence and tragedy of raising a child with a disability takes this to a deeper plane still.“Jenny’s story and Mary’s telling of it, will grip the reader and change how they see the world around them for a very long time.”Steve Biddulph, psychologist and author

FOREVERbaby

JENNY’S STORY - A MOTHER’S DIARY

Mary Burbidge

Copyright (#ulink_d8589fc8-fd16-549b-b27d-d4e36d5530d8)

Certain details in this story, including names, places and dates, have been changed to protect the family’s privacy.

HarperCollinsPublishers

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First published by Pan Macmillan Australia 1997

© Mary Burbidge 1997, 2001, 2013

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

While every effort has been made to trace the owners of copyright material reproduced herein and secure permissions, the publishers would like to apologise for any omissions and will be pleased to incorporate missing acknowledgements in any future edition of this book.

Mary Burbidge asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

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Ebook Edition © NOVEMBER 2014 ISBN: 9780007549115

Version: 2014-11-19

Contents

Cover (#u78d2839d-9f4f-5977-843d-37ce37130807)

Title Page (#ub347e04c-93a1-5d37-b4ca-fe74ebacc38a)

Copyright (#ulink_af04f2ef-d125-5d6e-b115-e1d24cff50ed)

Author’s Notes (#ulink_f61deef6-40ad-5be1-b2cc-9c675e658295)

Introductions (#ulink_61c7b911-a9d8-54b0-a403-43cc5f6a04a1)

Part One – Looking back to ‘before’ (1990 – 1995)

Photographs – The way we were (1974 – 1995) (#ulink_02ffc46f-aafe-5ce1-a3d5-c557ca7d8c09)

Part Two – Volume Twenty-four (March to May 1995)

Chapter 1 (#ulink_0f64cb52-0c80-5a49-a56b-8f0595da4e1e)

Chapter 2 (#ulink_860da3fd-fc67-5492-85bc-dacc7fd0fb9e)

Chapter 3 (#ulink_0b68748d-2aff-5631-aa84-3e914b90aa84)

Chapter 4 (#ulink_d79220aa-a980-5dbb-b12a-60328530b52d)

Chapter 5 (#ulink_109bbae3-c344-567c-9ae2-2c3d9795fb3d)

Chapter 6 (#ulink_1f1ec187-4794-5e05-9300-efa4df854c45)

Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 18 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 19 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 20 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 21 (#litres_trial_promo)