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To Exist As I Am

A Doctor's Notes on Recovery and Radical Acceptance
By Grace Spence Green
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Brief Description
What do you do when the life you planned is dramatically interrupted? What does it mean to heal, when the world won't stop asking what's wrong with you? At the age of 22, Grace Spence Green's spine was broken at the fourth thoracic vertebra. One day,... Read More
Format: Hardback
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A young doctor's life-affirming story of near-death, recovery and radical acceptance

A young doctor's extraordinary story of near-death, recovery and radical acceptance

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
What do you do when the life you planned is dramatically interrupted? What does it mean to heal, when the world won't stop asking what's wrong with you? At the age of 22, Grace Spence Green's spine was broken at the fourth thoracic vertebra. One day, she was in hospital supporting patients, the next she was fighting for her own life. To Exist As I Am chronicles her journey from idealistic medical student to spinal-injury patient, to doctor and disabled activist, finding her way back to the wards, and finding her tribe along the way. This life-affirming memoir reframes disability and questions the value we place on independence, in favour of interdependence; the rich networks of care that bind us together, and what love truly looks like. Rather than yearning to be 'fixed', Grace shows how we might fight for change while embracing a joyous life - exactly as we are.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781800814486

Publisher: Profile Books Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 05 June 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Wellcome Collection

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 132.0mm

Height: 216.0mm

Weight: 336g

Pages: 224

Collections

Best Sellers at Book Hero Education & Reference Grace Spence Green In Stock Books New Zealand's Best Selling Books The 2026 Women's Prize Uncategorised

About the Author

Grace Spence Green is a junior doctor working to challenge the narratives surrounding disability, medicine and identity. In 2018, aged 22 and a 4th year medical student, she sustained a spinal cord injury and is now a full-time wheelchair user. Since her life-changing injury, Grace has become a passionate advocate for the disabled community, writing regularly for the BMJ and Guardian and across TV and radio.

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