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Humor really is the best medicine!
70 Things You Can Do While Being Hospitalized is an entertaining and humorous book that is sure to help others navigating prolonged hospital stays keep their spirits up. Why was it important for you to write this book?
As I had never been hospitalized before I got this lifethreathening injury, I thought being hospitalized was something about being in great pain. I was also in great pain but the hardest thing to cope with, was the fear. Fear of not getting well again, fear of not getting back to your old life, fear of not getting back to wife and kids, fear of not being a good husband again, fear of not being a good father again. That fear was overwhelming and really hard to cope with. Allmost impossible. My only weapon was to make as much fun with the staff as I could, crack bad jokes and make a fool of myself. Humor really is the best medicine! That is why my book begins and ends with the words “Fear can be a prison – Hope and humor is your key out”. I know that there are many other people in hospitals in similar or much worser situations than mine, and if I can make them laugh, they might forget their pain and misery for a while. If my book can do that then it must be the best book in the world.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
That must be chapter 28 “Rescue Team 101” about how to have some fun at the hospital ICU. My injury was a brain hemorrhage (the size of an egg and deep inside the brain). My blood pressure was sky high so the brain hemorrhage got bigger and bigger and was life threathening. Doctors decided that they had to do surgery to save my life but it would be very dangerous and the chances for me ending up as a vegetable was quite big. Just before the operation my wife took a chance and lay beside me on the operation bed (she’s a nurse and knew some of the staff). At that moment my blood pressure began to fall and the doctors cancelled the operation. Its quite a beautifull story and here 10 years after, it still gets me in tears when writing about it. What a wife!
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
I dont really think my ideas were the most important. They are just silly ideas. I think the footnotes where I could explain how hard it was to get back home was more important. Also I hope that my footnotes explains, that no matter how injured and miserable you are, you can allways be kind and helpfull to those people around you. You will also discover that this will make you feel better.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
You can turn around even the worst time in you life if you have some hope and humor.
Author Links: Amazon | Facebook
Read my book and you can learn how to:
– Fake your own death when you get visitors you don’t really want.
– Dress as the Reaper and stroll around the hospital.
– Setup your own hospital night club.
And many, many more ideas, 70 in total.
I was hospitalized for 6 months, so learn from the best and get well soon.
70 Things You Can Do While Being Hospitalized
This book by Lasse Toft is a quirky, humorous take on coping with long-term hospitalization. Through a mix of satire, personal anecdotes, and dark humor, Toft transforms what could have been a grim manual into a creative guide for enduring hospital stays. The book is structured around absurd yet oddly endearing suggestions, ranging from “Medicine Roulette” to “Fake Your Own Death,” all aimed at lightening the emotional load of being stuck in a medical setting. Beneath the wit lies a touching testament to resilience, humor, and human connection.
What struck me first was how unapologetically funny this book is. Take “Dress as the Grim Reaper,” for example. Toft gleefully outlines how donning a black robe and scaring staff and patients could liven up a dull day. It’s an audacious idea, but it captures the defiance of boredom that defines the book. His story about mistakenly taking another patient’s laxative pills and spending the weekend in the bathroom is another standout his ability to laugh at himself made me laugh along too. The writing is conversational and loaded with Toft’s personality, which I loved. He doesn’t shy away from being irreverent. These antics are ridiculous, but they cleverly highlight the small joys and distractions that can make a hospital stay bearable. Toft’s voice is warm, yet his humor has an edge that keeps the book from becoming too sentimental. The book also has moments of unexpected depth. The preface, where Toft reflects on fear, hope, and humor as his tools for survival, sets a poignant tone. Even his sillier ideas, like starting a betting company for who might “go next,” reflect a dark but relatable sense of grappling with mortality. This balance between humor and vulnerability is one of the book’s biggest strengths.
70 Things You Can Do While Being Hospitalized is for anyone who appreciates humor with a hint of darkness, especially those navigating difficult times. It’s perfect for patients, caregivers, or anyone who’s spent too long in an unfamiliar place and needed a laugh. I’d recommend it to those looking for a lighthearted way to find meaning and a bit of fun in challenging circumstances.
Pages: 182 | ASIN : B0CYTKTCFP
LITERARY TITAN 