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Gill Hicks in Good Housekeeping

Gill talks about her Christmas

Good Housekeeping, Real Lives, December 2006

Gill Hicks

Last Christmas was particularly special for me, and these two photos show why. I’d just got married to Joe and we went to my native Australia to spend time with my brother, Graham, and his family. We were all just so grateful and thankful that we were able to be together.

Five months earlier, I’d been fighting for my life after a suicide bomber blew up in the tube carriage I was in. Both my legs were horribly mutilated and my arms were badly burned by the force of the explosion. Death felt like an increasingly comforting option, but the will to live and the need to see the people I loved again was too great for me to give up hope.

Being so close to death does change your view of life. It caused me to re-examine the things that matter to me most - including my relationship with my brother and his family. We now speak several times a week and have vowed to spend as much time as we can together. The only message of any value I can offer this Christmas is this: remember what is truly important to you and value every precious moment. Life is a magnificent gift and sometimes we have to stop and remember all the things that make being alive so very wonderful.

Gill now works with the charity Peace Direct (peacedirect.org), which supports local peacebuilding in conflict areas. She has also written a book about her experience, One Unknown (£14.99 Rodale), which will be available from April 2007.