Here Goes...

“You must let me do for myself all that I can do.” “We spend our lives trying to prove that we’re independent.”

This memoir is a frank and joyous account of a fascinating life. Lottie’s humanity, courage, mischief and good humour, faith, and love of family and friends leaps from the pages. Her ability to live life to the fullest — in the face of physical obstacles that many of us would find disheartening — is inspirational. This book, beautifully illustrated with drawings and photos from the first six decades of Lottie’s life, deserves a wide readership in New Zealand and beyond.

A truly moving memoir that tells of Lottie’s journey through her own words. Lottie is a strong, compassionate woman who is an example to us all of how our own world view, friends and family can support a full and rich life despite any challenges. Her independence, determination and ability to remain positive and upbeat is an inspiration to others. This is an insightful read especially for young people with a disability as well as for those who support them to lead full lives. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Lottie’s journey.

In this memoir, Lottie recounts the milestones in her life that have shaped her into the person she is today. This book provides an insight into living with disability as Lottie expounds some of the challenges that she has experienced and the impact they have had (and continue to have) on her life. But of course, it is also clear from her narrative that there are many other aspects of her life that have been influential and important. Lottie describes many of her hobbies, friends and her faith that have played a large part. It is also clear that an important constant has been her loving family, who have supported her in many ways. One of the people that Lottie dedicates the book to is her childhood physiotherapist, Maude Blomkamp, who Lottie describes treated her as a person to be respected and encouraged. Although many aspects of physiotherapy have changed over the intervening years, this focus on viewing people as people first and aspects of their health condition as secondary remains a cornerstone of good healthcare. Indeed, what this memoir reveals is Lottie, the person whose life experience has inevitably been shaped by cerebral palsy but that is only part of who she is today. We see her as a determined, creative, fun-loving and family-oriented person.