Johnny

by Owenita Sanderlin

Johnny Sanderlin was a normal, fine young man: A good student, an avid chess player, an amateur journalist, and a tennis champion - a national junior doubles champion. But Johnny was also very brave. He had to be. When Johnny was eleven years old, he became ill with leukemia; doctors said he couldn't live more than a year. But neither Johnny nor his family would accept this. Johny was going to live. And live he did; and he had a wonderful life. Johnny is his story, told in his own words, which his mother took from the pages of the diary he kept, and from the weekly newspapers, The Spy, which he prepared for members of his family. Johnny's life was full of as much adventure, activity, and happiness as he and his family could possibly make it. The Sanderlins were a happy family; Johnny lived to see his sisters marry and have children. He and his brother David kept on playing tennis and winning trophies - during a long and complete remission of the dread disease, he won the Nation Thirteen and Under Doubles Championships in Chattanooga.

Genres: Nonfiction

154 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1968

Reviews

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johnny was a fine young man; a good student, an avid chess player, an amateur journalist and a national tennis champion. He hoped to go to college, and being a year ahead of his class, he had the ability and qualifications. Johnny was very brave. He had to be. In 1958, when he was eleven years old, with no warning at all, he became ill. His parents were told he had leukemia and had only 15 months to live. However, Johnny was determined to live every moment of life that was given to him and he continued to enjoy life for nearly 5 more years, dying just a few days before his 16th birthday in 1963. The day before his death Johnny said, "There are two things I want. I want to live. . .but if I can't do that I just want to go to heaven."

I think people of all ages could draw inspiration from Johnny's gallant struggle against an incurable illnes - a struggle to live as normal a life as he could for as long as he possibly could.

[A Hoppy Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars
I cry every time I read this. Sad story of a short life.