Kevin P Miller    Writer/Filmmaker

 Reviewing Sarah's Last Wish

Ancient philosophers often stated that there can be no personal or spiritual growth without pain. Suffering and anguish, we are told, are the brutal conduits to enlightenment; it is the catalyst to inner-questioning, exploration, and ultimately, metamorphosis. Pain and suffering force us to face cold hard truths and help define our ethics.  

I am no stranger to pain. As a filmmaker since 1990, I have documented thousands of individual medical nightmares. In truth, I have seen too much...and felt too much hurt. So the prospect of reading about another personal train wreck...another tale of tragedy and heartbreak made me wary. Within the opening pages of  Sarah's Last Wish,  however, Eve's Hillary's powerful writing immersed me into the world of 11-year-old Sarah  Westley, a young girl diagnosed with ovarian cancer. . .and there was no turning back.

Sarah's Last Wish  is a transformative book, a passionate homage to millions of people harmed by conventional medical institutions. But is also a prayer to return freedom and humanity back to healthcare worldwide.  

Sarah's Last Wish  shares not only the pain, but the Light that was Sarah, whose childlike, if not Godlike, wisdom haunts us with the reminder that the smallest voices can offer the most profound lessons. 

As we debate how to create not only a better healthcare system, but a better world, Sarah's Last Wish offers lessons on how our medical systems must change if we are to ever truly reach societal enlightenment. It asks whether we are humane enough to hear the gracious wisdom of an 11-year-old girl...and whether we are willing to act to preserve all we hold dear about humanity itself.  

Kevin P. Miller is an international award winning Writer, Producer and Director whose films LET TRUTH BE THE BIAS, THE PROMISED LAND, and more have won numerous Film and Television awards. Two-time Academy Award® winner Paul Haggis called his 2008 documentary GENERATION RX "a powerful and often chilling eye-opener". His "Best-of" blog is also available at:

www.KevinMiller.com
 
http://www.kevinmiller.com/  His website.
 
http://kevinpmiller.blogspot.com/2011/04/sarahs-last-wish-book-by-eve-hillary.html  His Book Review/blog

Part 1 of Kevin Miller's documentary, We Become Silent - narrated by Dame Judy Dench - a stunning expose on the loss of health freedom.  Parts 2 and 3 are on YouTube.

        Mr Klaus Ferlow 

I have read many books, but none has kept my attention like "Sarah's Last Wish".

Men are not supposed to cry, but I could not keep my tears and emotion under control. As I read page by page, my shock and anger grew until at the end of this book I had to wipe my tears; my heart was pounding, my hands became fists and I was ready to punch the people responsible for the cruel treatment of Sarah and her family. I was bewildered that something like this could happen in a "free" democratic country like Australia!

I admire the author's courage, stamina and risk-taking for writing an article about Sarah's predicament in 2003 and for her compassion in helping the Westley family by writing this book.

What happened to the Westley family will be with them for the rest of their lives, and will have a major impact on them. We all should make sure that this never happens again to any child or family anywhere so that Sahra's last wish - which Mark had promised to fulfill - will come true.

I have tried to put myself in Mark's shoes, since I am also a family man, (my wife and I have two strong healthy sons and in four years we will celebrate our golden wedding anniversary). I feel for Mark and Dianne and family, James and Ruth, at having to go through a two year emotional, mental and physical rollercoaster - a torture they did not deserve. Another shock was that authorities denied Mark financial compensation for all the expenses they had imposed on the family. I do hope that people worldwide open their hearts and will donate money ( I will do my share) to the Westley family so that they can go on with their lives with fewer financial worries.

This book shows how a very strong family bond can overcome the biggest hardship unfairly created by the authorities. Sarah's Last Wish should become a bestseller and hopefully millions of people will read the story because changes need to take place in governments, hospitals, and in the medical profession.

This book is a must read for everyone. All the best to Eve Hillary and the Westley family!

Mr. Klaus Ferlow, HMH is an Honorary Master Herbalist, innovator, researcher, writer, founder, President & co-owner of FERLOW BOTANICALS, Div. of Ferlow Brothers Ltd, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, www.ferlowbotanicals.com

  Review by Louise Mclean

One of the first things that struck me about Eve Hillary’s book, Sarah’s Last Wish, was that Sarah Westley’s family was the epitome of a wonderful, caring family; an example of how a loving family should be.    

Mark Westley’s sense of responsibility and duty to his wife and children were a study in loyalty and courage, and how we expect a father and husband to stand up and protect his family.   Dianne, his wife, supported her husband’s values and good sense, standing steadfastly by him through their heartbreaking ordeal, always a loving and kind wife and a wonderful mother.   In addition, grandparents Jim and Ruth were always ready to care for the couple’s other children at a moment’s notice.  

This formed a stark contrast between this charming family’s innocence and the tortures the system put them through; making it so much more shocking than if it had happened to feckless, abusive parents.  

Sarah Westley was the third of Mark and Dianne’s six children.   She was a child of nature, running wild in the hills and fields, swimming in the river and playing with the animals.   The stark contrast of her forced chemotherapy treatment and virtual hospital imprisonment was so completely against her temperament, as to appear to be the most evil cruelty that a system wanted to force a treatment.

At least for a short while the family did manage to provide Sarah with some integrative treatment that included both conventional and complementary treatments. These were ultimately denied her by the authorities, as were other comfort measures such as palliative care.    

Sarah and her family pleaded to be given low dose chemotherapy more suited to her type of cancer and attempted to fly to America for the treatment but the authorities would not allow this either.

Finally Eve Hillary became a whistle blower and, in defiance of a court gag order, publicized Sarah’s plight in an attempt to allow Sarah’s parents to pursue overseas treatment for her. This came at a high personal price for Eve and it did not succeed in freeing Sarah to seek overseas treatment, but it did draw attention to the disturbing, escalating global trend of forcing - often unsuccessful - medical and surgical procedures onto children against their parent’s wishes.

Since then Eve has written the full story of the bravery that Sarah displayed up until her last day, which is the ultimate reason why the health system needs to be more flexible and compassionate. With the treatments her parents were hoping to provide for her, Sarah would certainly have experienced less pain and a better quality of what remained of her life.

Louise Mclean is a writer and homeopathic practitioner, living in London, UK.    

Websites:   www.homeopathyheals.me.uk  and    www.zeusinfoservice.com