Life on a Knife’s Edge : A Brain Surgeon’s Reflections on Life, Loss and Survival

A raw and unflinching account from leading neuroscientist and neurosurgeon of the valuable lessons we can learn from patients confronted with their own mortality.

As one of the world''s leading brain surgeons, Dr Jandial is the last hope for many patients who have extreme forms of cancer - patients who can''t be saved, but deserve more time.

Life on a Knife''s Edge is his account of the resilience, courage and belief he has witnessed in his patients, and the lessons he has learned from them. Both an unflinching account of extreme surgeries and a profound, moving and introspective memoir, this book reveals the depths of a surgeon''s psyche who is pushed to his limits, day in, day out.

From keeping a gun victim''s heart pumping with his own hand, to saving a woman from paralysis and performing brain surgery while time is running out on a hemorrhaging patient, we see how making life and death decisions and facing unimaginable pressure has shaped one man''s life.

In this breathtaking memoir, Dr Jandial shares what he''s learned about human nature, from balancing the line between life and death everyday.

'It's a brilliant book... There are lessons in every paragraph... Get it now.' Chris Evans'Wonderous and wild. I loved this book' James Nestor, bestselling author of Breath 'Moving, raw and unflinching' Julia Samuel, bestselling author of This Too Shall Pass'Incredible storytelling' Dr Rangan Chatterjee, bestselling author of Feel Better in 5____________________________________________________________________________How do you carry on when things go deadly wrong?When Dr Rahul Jandial operated on Karina, an eleven-year-old girl whose spinal cord was splitting in two, he had to make an impossible decision. He followed his head over his gut and Karina was left permanently paralysed, altering both patient and surgeon's lives for ever. This decision would haunt Rahul for decades, a constant reminder of the fine line between saving and damaging a life. As one of the world's leading brain surgeons, Rahul is the last hope for patients with extreme forms of cancer. In treating them, he has observed humanity at its most raw and most robust. He has journeyed to unimaginable extremes with them, guiding them through the darkest moments of their lives. Life on a Knife's Edge is Rahul's poetic and beautifully written account of the resilience, courage and belief he has witnessed in his patients, and the lessons about human nature he has learned from them. It is about the impossible choices he has to make, and the fateful consequences he is forced to live with. From challenging the ethics of surgical practices, to helping a patient with locked-in syndrome communicate her dying wish to her family, Rahul shares his extraordinary experiences, revealing the depths of a surgeon's psyche that is continuously pushed to its limits.