Without Due Care

  by Therese Mackay

                   Short Review by Eve Hillary

Donald Mackay was no fool. He knew what strange and unfortunate mishaps the health system could sometimes impose on hapless patients. He was an advocate for better health care and he'd just about heard it all. 

Donald was a doting father of two pretty daughters and a loving husband to his wife Therese. In the previous 20 years of his life, he achieved more - even as a quadraplegic - than most able-bodied men achieved in a lifetime.
 
When it was his turn to need hospital treatment, Donald was unusually nervous on the day that he was admitted to a large Sydney teaching hospital for a relatively minor procedure. His wife, Therese, now believes that Donald had a dark premonition, but no one including Donald himself could have imagined that a few short weeks later, he would die a coldly calculated and cruel death at the hands of medical professionals.
 
Still shocked by the insanity and tragedy of her husband's death, Therese, while still grieving, penned a book about Donald's life and death - Without Due Care.
 
She launched her book in the Waratah room at NSW Parliment House before an array of dignitaries, friends, family and the general public.

Eve Hillary, among others, was invited to give a speech, giving Therese's book  a unique perspective, since she had worked in the hospital where Donald Mackay had been admitted and could reveal the inside story to those who wondered how this tragedy could happen. 

This book is a must read for all who want to protect themselves from a fate similar to Donald Mackay's. He would have wanted his story to reform the system - a feat that he so desperately wanted to achieve while he was alive. 

A poignant companion book to Sarah's Last Wish.