" A Sick Life" Book Review
I hadn't read a good book in awhile.
While I was recovering from surgery in February, I read "Letters to my Daughter" by Maya Angelou.
I frequently save books I want to buy (and add to my ever growing collection) on on my Amazon wish list. I just come back to it when I'm looking for something to read. I was on Amazon looking for gift for my mom's birthday earlier this month and added this book to my cart.
First off, I've been a TLC fan since about '92, when "What About Your Friends" came out. I think every black girl at our school tried to wear their hair like T-Boz in some form. I know I tried it too.
The title alone caught my eye because it's called "A Sick Life".
I got the title instantly. Sick meaning "ill" but also "sick" as in "cool". I knew that T-Boz had struggled with Sickle Cell, but I didn't know the details.
I figure it would be a interesting and helpful read for myself. Although I don't have sickle cell, I have kidney disease which is a lifelong disease. Like there is still no known cure for sickle cell, there is no cure for kidney disease. All you can do is treat it.
I found her stories of being a band member of TLC most enlightening. The food fights in the studio, the pranks they pulled on staff member on their team and on each other. I don't think at the time I started listening to them, I knew how young they really were. They were only 19, 20 years old.
I found her stories of being sick though, so relatable.
For me, I guess I could go back to my husband and I's first failed pregnancy (Ryan Andrew) with this. Up until I was 23, I was relatively healthy as far as I knew. Then came the miscarriages, which came with the needles, IV's, ER visits and hospital stays. After our 2nd pregnancy, I had to go every week for blood draws and that was just the beginning of my experience with being stuck like a pen cushion every week. I have tiny veins, that blow easily so unless you're really good at drawing blood, it usually takes the phlebotomist or nurse 3 to 4 tries to get an IV in or draw blood which as you can imagine totally sucks.
Most recently in the last 4 years, I was diagnosed with Kidney Disease out of nowhere. It's been a roller coaster ride ever since.
T-Boz talked alot about her sickle cell crisis flares, her brain tumor and hospitals stays. Which I can relate too. I've only been in the hospital 3 months straight in my life, which was due to pregnancy but lemme tell you, that was rough!
The amount of ER visits and hospital stays, I've had is no comparison to what Ms. Watkins has been through. She talked about how she and her mom basically became friends with the hospital staff she had to go so frequently.
Also she talks about struggle as she went through, and still deals with the effects of a brain tumor she was diagnosed with. All of the feelings and emotions she went through with dealing with not feeling well or looking like herself, the recovery, dealing with pain, while being a mother at the same time...all very relatable for me.
I would definitely recommend this book to not only TLC fans, but to those who are sick or struggling with health issues. She gives a multitude of relatable stories not just about illness but about life. Her positive attitude towards all that has happened in her life not only speaks widely about the person she is, but lends encouragement as well.
She may never see this but...Thank you Tionne for sharing your stories in you book "A Sick Life"! It has helped me so much.
Until next time...
