Second Life

From husband to carer - what it's like to look after the love of your life in palliative care.

David loved Nanette so profoundly, so passionately, so totally... He has poured his love for her into Second Life - A Story of Love, Loss and Hope - Caroline Overington, literary editor of The Australian.

Nanette and David Hoysted had been married twenty-seven years when Nanette suddenly suffered a massive, life-threatening brain haemorrhage that left her in a coma. She sustained significant brain damage that would drastically alter her life should she wake up.

The only instruction Nanette had ever given David was, 'If I'm ever in that kind of situation, I'd want you to make the decisions on my treatment, because I know you'd give me a chance.' Guided by his profound love for his wife and her one instruction, David embarked on the journey of looking after his 'wife, best friend and soulmate'. Even as their relationship evolved from a traditional partnership to one that was more parental in nature, their love endured.

In Second Life, David shares their harrowing four-year journey of love and loss and how he advocated for his wife. It's a story of sacrifice, resilience and courage in the face of trauma and adversity.

Second Life examines the life, loneliness, anxieties and needs of the long-term carer and provides a 'carer's eye view' of what quality of life is and the value of palliative care even when euthanasia is an option.