Pulling Through

Pulling Through is beautifully written, extremely moving, funny at times, and full of love. It brilliantly captures the fear and frustration of not knowing what is wrong and then the challenges of living with a new version of someone. It’s also full of top practical advice. This will be hugely helpful for all kinds of carers and people facing a life-changing condition - and it’s a great read. – Simon Hattenstone, Guardian journalistBeautifully written and poignant … full of hope and humour. This book offers a wealth of practical advice on how to negotiate your way through the complexities of the NHS and social and support services, and importantly how to take care of yourself as a carer. I personally learned a huge amount … inspirational. – Dr Victoria Singh-Curry, Consultant Neurologist, Imperial College and Chelsea and Westminster NHS TrustsEncephalitis is a thief! The Jessop family know only too well the stealth with which it approaches, the immediacy with which it strikes and the devastation it leaves in its wake. In Pulling Through they use their journey and experience to produce a bible from bedside to the return home for anyone who finds themselves affected by sudden-onset ill-health in their family. – Dr Ava Easton, Chief Executive, Encephalitis SocietyI started reading this book in the garden on a lovely spring evening. I was gripped immediately. Suddenly I was transported to Catherine Jessop’s Christmas 2016, when her husband’s life and that of her whole family, was thrown into disarray by a dreadful illness I know only too well. Although I have studied the terrible brain inflammation, encephalitis, for 25 years, and met thousands of patients, I learnt a lot from this compelling narrative, about fear, hope, survival, endurance and above all love. – Professor Tom Solomon, Professor of Neurology at the University of Liverpool and President of the Encephalitis SocietyWhen illness enters the life of a family, things rarely remain the same. Catherine Jessop’s poignant and searingly honest account of how her family’s life was thrown off course in the wake of her husband’s diagnosis of encephalitis provides a wealth of essential practical information and tips for coping. It is a beacon of hope for others facing the rollercoaster ride of life changing illness - read and be guided by its wisdom. – Dr Audrey Daisley, Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist, Oxford

I recognised so much in Catherine Jessop’s story: the lottery of healthcare, the need to rapidly learn on the job how our health and social care systems work, the mundanity of many of the daily trials - such as hospital parking, the emotional roller-coaster, and the way life splits into ‘before’ and ‘after’. And I cannot recommend Pulling Through highly enough. It covers really tough territory with honesty, insight, humour and a determination to support others who may suddenly find themselves plunged into this ‘after’ world - not only through encephalitis but any number of life-altering illnesses and conditions. Pulling Through is so much more than a guide to what happens next and how to survive it. It is a voice penetrating the chaos and muddle of navigating care with the message ‘I’ve done this. I can help you do it too’.

Catherine Jessop is a writer with a background in publishing and marketing, as well as a full-time carer for her husband Alan, who has a permanent brain injury following autoimmune encephalitis. She has also worked in primary schools with children with learning difficulties and special needs. She writes a weekly blog promoting a variety of independent publishers. She has three children, two stepchildren, four grandchildren and a dog, and lives in West London.