Sarah's Last Wish, chronicled by Eve Hillary, is a heart breaking true story of a young girl stigmatised by a medical mis-diagnosis who, with her family, experiences a series of traumatic events highlighted by medical arrogance and intransigence and bureaucratic stonewalling and interference.

Sarah Westley, nicknamed Rogue by her father because of her fearless approach to life, was a bright and precocious child who at eleven years of age was diagnosed, with what turned out to be a rare, aggessive terminal illness.

This is a tensely emotional story which does have the reader cringe at the heartless and self-serving attitudes of those who worked in the Oncology departments of the various NSW hospitals she was forced to attend for treatment and the bureaucrats of the Department of Community Services (DoC's) in NSW.

All the Westley family wanted was the best for their child. They wanted to know what was happening and why it was happening and to be involved. But they were treated as outsiders, spoken down to, ignored until eventually they were locked out completely by the courts. And importantly, as they began to understand the nature and severity of her illness, they wanted Sarah to have the "right to live and die with dignity". Much of what went on behind the scenes only came to light following FOI requests by the family years after Sarah's tragic death.

A basic search of the internet throws up evidence of the controversy surrounding this case, one example, is reported in Sydney's Daily Telegraph. The ample references and footnotes provided by Eve Hillary evidence the research she has undertaken.

Although this is a bleak, sad story, the reader can find some solace in the strength and fortitude that Sarah displayed even in her darkest moments and the comfort and love of family and the country community within which Sarah was able to spend her short life.

A book well worth reading to get an appreciation of what can happen when things go terribly wrong and the importance of seeking legal advice early to understand your rights before things spin out of control. However, while reading the book try to stay detached and not become overwhelmed in the emotion of the story.

ISBN 978-0-9806629-0-0