Robby , livre ebook

Troubador Publishing Ltd - Hugh Franks

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90 pages

English

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"A Triumphant Testament to human willpower and love." - Sir Richard Attenborough.This is the story Robby, who at the age of six was diagnosed as suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a disease for which there is no known cure. The book demonstrates the power of positive thinking and attitude to life, and is a testament to human willpower and courage.It is a narrative of suspense and adventure about a man, a woman and a boy. Their love for each other, their wonderful and never-ending send of humour, their determination and will to live enable them to overcome the obstacles put in their way, so they can live, laugh, love and be happy.

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Memoir

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Publié par	Troubador Publishing Ltd
Date de parution	28 février 2020
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781838598211
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0250€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

By Hugh Franks
Books

Will to Live (won an American literary prize, 1980). Foreword by
Sir Richard Attenborough
The Point of Acupuncture (Illustrated by Michael Ffolkes)
I’m Sorry to have to Tell You… How to Drive (Illustrated by Michael Ffolkes)
The Longest Night
The Dragon and the Needle
The Triumph of Love and Liberty
The Miracle

Plays

Hot and Tot
TV’s (won drama award London 1979)
Getting on and off

Film Scripts and short stories

Copyright © 2020 Hugh Franks

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

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ISBN 978 1838598 211

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd

For Judith, David and
those who have helped
Foreword
by
Sir Richard Attenborough C.B.E.
President,
The Muscular Dystrophy Group of Great Britain

Nothing surely could be more frightening for a parent than to be told that your child will slowly wither before your impotent gaze and fail to survive his teens? You, I, any mother or father could surely be forgiven for despairing totally in the face of such a cruel prognosis.
Hugh Franks’s stepson, Robby, was six years old when the Duchenne type of muscular dystrophy was diagnosed. This devastatingly honest account of the subsequent four teen years in Robby’s life is not a depressing tragedy but a triumphant testament to human willpower and love. Robby and his family do not despair, neither do they ever accept death as inevitable. Instead they fight muscular dystrophy with every weapon they can muster. What shines so unexpectedly from this narrative is the element of suspense and adventure as Hugh, Robby and his mother, Judith, battle for time. Each week, month or year they manage to keep the disease at bay, means that scientific researchers all over the world are closer to unlocking the mysteries of muscular dystrophy.
One day there will be a breakthrough. Hugh Franks and thousands like him live for that moment which, I am sure, must come.
This book is about what happens, meanwhile, about the quality of life for those who wait.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter One
The first time I saw Robby he asked me to play games with him, any sort of game would do. He had a football handy, so the game was football. He seemed to fall over a lot but it did not worry him.
‘Come on Hugh,’ he shouted, ‘tackle me harder than that!’ He was a six-year-old, full of spirit, with fair silky hair, clever little blue eyes and an infectious smile. At that time I did not know about his parents’ unhappy marriage. I learnt about that later from his mother, Judith. I also learnt that Robby was a lonely child. His father spent long periods away from his home in London, fufilling business commitments on the Continent. When he was at home he seldom played with his son. There was a simple reason for this – he had no time for children. To him, they were creatures who were to be seen and not heard, and were discouraged from entering his home. However, he was often heard, for he drank heavily and on these frequent occasions would try to discipline his son by shouts, threats and beatings. Robby would rush to Judith in tears asking for protection from his father. She had tried to comfort and protect her son, and had threatened to leave her husband again and again, but she had never had the strength or courage. She always hoped that her husband might change. However, the Fates decreed that she would be the one to change. She changed partners and married me.
Judith’s husband and I had once been old school friends and that was how I had met her. He was a strange boy at school, full of charm, but lacking a sense of humour. He was not easily roused, but I remember occasions when he would violently react to any leg pulling by a quick loss of temper. He was strong and well built, but slow and heavy of movement, so although he presented a frightening physical aspect when angry, smaller boys found it easy to elude his blows. We did not meet for many years, then suddenly our paths crossed in London. The post-war marriage I had rushed into was just finishing in divorce. Meeting Judith and Robby was the change in fortune that the three of us so desperately needed. Her husband’s business interests were in Europe, and he spent most of his time there. Within a matter of weeks, Robby and I had developed a strong relationship with each other and Judith and I had fallen deeply in love.
Robby had grown up in the usual way and seemed no different from other boys. Except for a slight stutter, Robby was happy or sad, hot or cold, and, like all human beings, in a constant state of change. He had feelings, sensations and ideas which were often as outrageous as those of other children. But the more his bullying father became obsessed with the need to discipline his son with a Victorian strictness, using the cane frequently, the more Robby and his mother suffered mental and physical hardships. As I was to discover, the problems concerning his father lay deep within Robby and he avoided discussion of the subject. It was some time before a breakthrough occurred, but when it did, it was like the sun breaking through the clouds after weeks of rain.
It had been raining that afternoon as I stood next to Judith at the window of her London flat. We were waiting for Robby’s return from school. Any moment now he would be turning the corner at the end of the square. Robby suddenly appeared. He was jogtrotting, not quite running, just ahead of another boy. Robby slowed down to a walk and with both arms outstretched he pointed towards an old oak tree in the corner of the square. They both stopped walking, stared towards the tree and laughed together. A few moments later they began walking again, and Robby played the game of trying to avoid stepping on the lines between each paving stone. As he got closer to the flat Robby looked up and saw us both standing at the window. He waved to us and we waved back. He took a few paces forwards and fell, hard, suddenly onto his knees.
He was standing by the time we had run out onto the pavement from the flat. No harm had been done. Robby was smiling.
‘Hullo Mummy, hullo Hugh. I’m all right,’ he said, and pointing to his knees went on, ‘Look! No cuts, no blood this time.’
‘You went down a whopper,’ Judith said, ‘poor old pavement!’
That night Judith told me more about Robby’s lack of muscle co-ordination. His walking often appeared to be clumsy, he had frequent falls. His school had suggested that extra gym lessons might help.
‘That might be a good idea,’ I said. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, but why don’t you take him for a medical check-up?’
I had to leave London for a few days, but I phoned Judith each evening. On the third evening her voice sounded tense.
‘What’s the matter?’ I asked.
‘Oh, nothing – Robby misses you terribly, so perhaps he’s a bit of a handful tonight.’
‘Shall I have a word with him?’
‘No. I’ve tucked him in. He should be asleep by now… Hugh?’
‘Yes… I heard you. I’m still here.’
‘Hugh,’ she suddenly blurted out, ‘I’m frantically worried. Robby seemed to have a lot of difficulty climbing the stairs tonight.’
‘Perhaps he was overtired?’
‘I don’t know. I’m taking him to the doctor tomorrow. His father phoned from Vienna this afternoon. I could tell from his voice he’d been drinking. Thank God he’s not coming back for another two weeks.’
‘I’ll be with you tomorrow evening.’
I did not get to Judith’s flat until late. As she opened the door she threw herself into my arms. Tears were streaming down her face.
‘Oh Hugh,’ she cried, ‘the doctor said that Robby has muscular dystrophy!’
Chapter Two
Muscular dystrophy begins so uneventfully that often a long time passes before any muscle weakness is revealed. There are also many types of muscular dystrophies as well as several hundred other disorders which may affect the muscles. Even those closest to the problem may have no idea of the bombshell that will suddenly burst into their lives.
For a while, Judith could not, would not, believe the diagnosis. I tried my best to comfort her that evening, but to make matters worse, her husband phoned again. When she told him about Robby, his immediate reaction was to defend himself – it could not possibly be his fault – there had never been such an illness in his family – it must be all Judith’s fault. He could not change his business plans. Robby would have t