“I met James Lynch when I visited Tauranga hospital as leader of the Opposition. He was a very special patient and well liked by all the staff.
What amazed me was his good nature and humour given his very challenging disabilities. I found that inspirational. And, yes, he was easy to communicate with.”

Rt. Hon. Helen Clark

“What really makes you one of my heroes James-was your absolute strength of character. As a young lad you sacrificed your physique for a heroic deed. As a man you had the spiritual strength to impress an army of carers over 44 years.”

Maureen Medley


James Lynch

From the back cover of ‘A View from Within’:

‘For over forty years, James Lynch lay in Tauranga hospital, becoming the longest-stay permanent patient in New Zealand history. He was visited often, by celebrities and ordinary people alike, and formed deep and lasting relationships with many. This is the story of one of those relationships – a poignant portrayal of the close bond developed over the seventeen years James was visited by the author.

Pauline Grogan tells James’ story with sensitivity and love.  It is an absorbing tale of how a seriously disabled man was able to come to terms with his paralysed body and live a fullness of life.  As the author discovered, he was able to help many others to move past the constraints of their lives to a greater fullness than would have otherwise been possible.

‘A View from Within’ is one of the most inspirational, spiritual memoirs I have ever read.  James Lynch was indeed paralysed for most of his life, but in reading about it, I feel I have walked with a luminous spirit – one who, by acceptance of suffering, transcended it.”
 Author Robert Waldren, Boston, USA

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