Please Sir, Can I Have My Ball Back

Title: Please, Sir, Can I Have My Ball Back
Author: Ashley Morrison
Publisher: Hybrid Publishers
ISBN: 1 876462 34 5
Year: 2005
Pages: 182
Reviewer: Miss Jyoti Shah
Price: $25.00 AUD

Website: http://www.newballplease.com

This book describes the experience of a 31-year old man who was diagnosed with testicular cancer in November 1995, through his own eyes. The immediacy of personal experience is all too apparent. The book charts his journey from diagnosis to treatment, and subsequently moving on, in a chronological, informal, honest and easy to read style.

The author manages to explain candidly yet beautifully the ups and downs; the reality; the practical difficulties, such as being refused policies by insurance companies; the emotional burden; the fear; and the difficulty for family and friends to actually understand. I found the book gripping and could feel the emotions of the writer.

As he describes standing up, with shorts and shoes on, trousers and underpants around his ankles, his vulnerability is described with grace, elegance and courage. I found this simple statement so grounding. Upon receiving the diagnosis, the author is faced with the dilemma of whom to call first – his mother or father. His realization that no matter how old, children are still affected by divorced parents is a poignant reminder of the effect we have on our patients.

The book manages to demystify the lonely world of cancer and offers camaraderie and companionship. It empowers the reader. A diagnosis of cancer is like embarking on a journey with no maps. Please, Sir, Can I have my balls back is a book that provides a map of this journey and I would recommend it to anyone who deals with testicular cancer – doctors, nurses, patients and their families.

Reviewer: Miss Jyoti Shah (British Journal of Urology)