Death Be Not Proud Summary

Death Be Not Proud Book Summary

Death Be Not Proud, by John Gunther, Is centered on the topic of the author’s son, Johnny, who develops a brain tumor while he is at boarding school. It describes how Johnny courageously fought the battle with cancer up until his final breath and never was seen without a smile. Johnny is described as a positive and extremely intelligent adolescent who adored life and all it had to offer. Nonetheless, he developed a deadly brain tumor when he was only just sixteen years old. When Johnny came home for his spring break, he was complaining of a stiff neck and some slight eyestrain. However, the family doctor claims that Johnny is perfectly healthy. One of the Deerfield school doctors believes that Johnny may have a brain tumor. The author and his wife drive up to Deerfield to see Johnny and the doctor’s face indicates that Johnny’s condition is most likely fatal. More tests are run and Johnny stays happy and

Almost a month after the surgery, Johnny was walking and just as cheery as before, but he fainted and his condition became drastically worse. The doctors explained that Johnny may experience blindness, paralysis, and death. Johnny is soon released from the hospital, but he has to return often for x-ray treatment. It is later discovered that Johnny has developed papilledema, which could damage his nervous system. Also, there is a large bump on his head that is from the tumor and it appears infected. The doctors claim that Johnny only has a few months to live and that he will die mostly without function in his body. However, the author remarks that Johnny lived for nearly a year after this happened. The doctors then begin to advocate using mustard gas to improve Johnny’s brain tumor. These treatments have nearly devastating side effects, as Johnny nearly dies from a lack of white blood