Dying Twice: A Sister's Tale

In December 1993, 34-year-old John Dally flew from New York to London to be admitted to hospital suffering from pneumonia. Some members of his large extended family were not aware that he was in the country; others knew only too well that this illness signalled the beginning of a gruelling journey towards his death from AIDS at some point in the future. For John's siblings, it would be the death of another brother; for his parents, the death of another son in his mid-thirties. In this description of John's last months, his sister Emma describes the effect that AIDS has on his friends and family and his doctor parents. Reading like a novel, it describes everyone's efforts to look after him, to encourage him to make the best use of his last days. It depicts the rapid deterioration of John's health, his dramatic, failed suicide attempt, and the final weeks, when he is cared for in his own home. It seeks to capture the intense camaraderie, as well as the frustrations, tensions and arguments about health care that develop between the loved ones at the bedside.