Books / memoir
Bristol author’s moving memoir charts the life of her severely disabled daughter
Originally from Glasgow, Bristol author Sheila Brill is a former teacher, trainer, and managing editor, whose memoir Can I Speak to Josephine please? has just been published.
The book charts the story of her daughter Josephine, who suffered a catastrophic brain injury at birth due to medical negligence during Sheila’s labour at a London hospital.
After a six and a half year fight, Sheila and her husband Peter won a court settlement against the health trust, enabling them to support their daughter with the best quality of life until she died at 23.
Josephine in hospital – photo: Sheila Brill
Josephine’s life was characterised by medical emergencies, surgical interventions and the daily demands of caring for a profoundly disabled child. She never spoke, rarely smiled, and wasn’t easily able to recognise the faces of those who loved her.
In those early years, Sheila experienced and overcame post-natal PTSD, and the birth of Josephine’s little brother; the Brills learned to adjust to daily life, “both beautiful and challenging” as it was.
Sheila Brill – photo: Robin Barr
When she was 15, the family received a phone call from a careers guidance worker, who asked ‘Can I speak to Josephine please?’ It was a moment that, for Sheila, distilled the chasm of understanding between outer and inner worlds.
Honouring their “wee girl”, Sheila’s memoir recollects the way in which Josephine inspired the people around her. She was “a bright and beautiful young lady who could ‘work the room’ despite her enormous limitations”.
Photo: Resilient Books
Sheila Brill: Can I Speak to Josephine please? is out now, published by Resilient Books. Follow @sheilabrill on X for literary news and events.
Main photo: Sheila Brill
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