Tony Cointreau was born into a life of wealth and privilege as a member of the French Cointreau liqueur family. He was surrounded by the rich and famous and he himself had his own successful singing career. Despite all this he felt he needed more out of life. Eventually his search led him to Calcutta and Mother Teresa after which he spent twelve years as a volunteer in her hospices in New York and Calcutta. He spent his days helping numerous people through the process of dying and she became a mentor and a dear friend. Today marks the release of his new book “A Gift of Love: Lessons Learned From My Work and Friendship with Mother Teresa” where he chronicles his experiences and lessons learned while caring for those who for one reason or another had no one and nowhere else to go.
In the Foreword, Tony Cointreau delves into what compelled him to do his volunteer work. It began in 1979 when he saw a magazine photograph of one of Mother Teresa’s volunteers carrying a dying man in his arms. It was not a religious calling but rather an urge he had to comfort those who were dying. His work took him deep into a world filled with drugs, poverty and crime during the worst of the AIDS crisis. When people heard about what he was doing they kept asking him for advice. They had someone in their life who was facing death and wanted to know what they could do for them in their last days. The book is divided into sixteen chapters with such titles as “Never Assume Anything,” “Doing Whatever You Have to Do” and “Unconditional Love.” The one that stands out the most is Chapter 7 “Helping Each Other” because in it the author writes about how everyday people have the ability to encourage others even while they themselves are facing their own crisis.
“A Gift of Love” by Tony Cointreau is a poignant account of one man’s courageous journey to help those facing their last days. Eventually everyone will have to either be a caregiver or know someone who is a caregiver or facing his or her last days. This may be a small book but it is filled with heartfelt stories and useful advice. The subject matter may be difficult but it pulls the reader in with the compassion that flows from its pages. It is an excellent read for anyone looking to gain perspective and empathy and especially recommended for caregivers and nurses. Now that Mother Teresa has been in the spotlight in the last few days this is the perfect book to read to learn about her work with the dying.
*Disclaimer: A copy of this book was given for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this article are solely the author’s.
