Living to Die - Dying to Live

Non-Fiction

Pages: 390 Ratings:

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From the chimneys at age four, then onto the tanks as a boy soldier and the heights as a paratrooper, from multiple immigrations to prison walls—this is a story of extraordinary resilience spanning eight decades.

Now facing Parkinson’s disease, multiple dementias, strokes, and diabetes, the author draws upon seven decades of survival skills to navigate a healthcare system that has failed him. Behind locked ward doors, he encounters violence, abuse, and systemic failures that would break most people.

But this is not a story of defeat. It’s the account of someone who has mastered the art of escape and evasion—not just from physical dangers, but from systems designed to strip away dignity, wealth, and hope.

A raw, unflinching memoir that exposes the hidden failures of our care institutions while celebrating the unbreakable human spirit that refuses to surrender.

“When the system fails you, survival becomes an art form.”

Born and brought-up the son of a chimneysweep on 1st October 1945 in ‘Auld-Reekie’ (Edinburgh). The smoky Lands of Fountainbridge in the two roomed top flat gas-lit near derelict tenement flat of his bedroom window view overlooking James Bonds, Mr ‘Big-Tam Sean Connery’s bedroom.

From first introduced to the roofs at four years of age then followed a failed education, exiting what was school at 14, no exams classified as illiterate.

At his 21st Birthday Michael McLenaghan was an accomplished chimneysweep, milk-boy, tank soldier and paratrooper. A qualified gasfitter, married and immigrant in the colonies, Australia then Canada again Australia, then New Zealand. Coupled with 30 odd years of unhealthy marriage and divorce, the next 30 years in the area of psychiatric care, Parkinson’s disease, manic depression, bi-polar, suicide, Lewy Body Dementia, Senile Dementia, strokes, vascular disease, vascular and Alzheimer’s Dementia, diabetes, frontal-lobe dementia and Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Years of inpatient hospitalisation, coshed-up with prescribed horrific drugs and finally, Morphine.

The author is now breathing, singing, painting, poetry and writing gigs, going to university and gyms. He is lecturing, researching on drugs, the brain and practising Psychiatry and Neuroplasticity. The author has already published two books Who Cares Who Wins and A History of Chimney Sweeping 1985. Surviving the Asylum is his third book and another one on its way and more.