A review by kate66
Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse by Shane Burcaw

5.0

This is a very funny book by a young man who has learned to poke fun at his circumstances (although he's a successful writer and businessman;has a gorgeous girlfriend and is very much in love so he's pretty much got what everyone in this world wants) which are that he was born with SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) a disease which is progressive and will eventually rob the sufferer of their life whilst making it progressively difficult to enjoy the things most of us take for granted (like being able to hold our own head up or eat something chewier than soup).

Shane's second book (and I'm sure I'll read the first) has so much hope in it that it leaves you a bit breathless. The main hope comes in the form of Spinraza which, if it works for Shane, will stop his SMA in its tracks and may even reverse some effects of the muscle wasting.

In the meantime he's getting on with things. I have to say having read this I'm not sure I'd ever let Shane and his brother ever go on another road trip. Shane says his brother is a pantser (it'll be okay, let's just go) but I think they both have a large amount of irresponsibility in them - nearly freezing to death then getting stuck in a sand dune being two of the more insane capers.

Just read the book. Its worrying, funny, uplifting, sobering and thankfully not too much nudity/farting/drug-induced insanity (but there is some!)